UNIVERSITY  OF 

ILL  ?RARY 

AT  U..  AMPAIGN 

ILL  HIS  i.  SURVEY 


A  STANDARD  HISTORY 

OF 

CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY 

ILLINOIS 


An  Authentic  Narrative  of  the  Past,  with  Particular 

Attention  to  the  Modern  Era  in  the  Commercial, 

Industrial,  Civic  and  Social  Development. 

A   Chronicle   of   the    People,   with 

Family  Lineage  and  Memoirs 


J.   R.    STEWART 

Supervising  Editor 

Assisted  by  a  Board  of  Advisory  Editors 


VOLUME  I 


ILLUSTRATED 


THE   LEWIS   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

CHICAGO  AND  NEW  YORK 

1918 


ILLINOIS  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 


PREFACE 

Champaign  County  is  representative  of  all  that  is  best  in  American 
life.  To  the  state  and  the  country  at  large  it  is  chiefly  known  for  its 
extraordinary  agricultural  capacity  and  for  the  great  University  which 
has  been  planted  in  its  midst,  and  which  has  drawn  to  its  territory 
thousands  of  able  and  inspiring  men  and  women.  Many  have  remained 
to  become  a  part  of  its  higher  life,  both  in  intellectual  and  moral  en- 
deavors. Those  who  know  Champaign  County  more  intimately,  natives 
or  old-time  residents,  also  appreciate  the. solidity  of  its  material  wealth 
and  the  sturdy  fiber  of  its  sons  and  daughters.  There  is  no  county  in 
the  United  States  which  has  been  more  faithfully  cultivated  and  the 
richness  of  whose  soil  has  been  conserved  in  a  more  intelligent  and 
scientific  manner.  The  grains,  the  fruits  and  the  live  stock  of  the 
county,  the  artificial  drainage,  and  the  various  auxiliaries  to  wholesome 
and  prosperous  living,  are  of  the  same  high  grade  as  its  men  and  women. 

All  that  is  best  in  American  life,  as  we  find  it  illustrated  in  Cham- 
paign County,  has  been  set  forth  in  this  work,  as  far  as  the  strength,  the 
industry  and  the  ability  of  the  editor,  with  the  invaluable  assistance  of 
his  associates,  could  realize  the  high  and  broad  aim  of  the  history.  In 
this  connection  we  cannot  but  refer  in  sorrow  to  the  death  of  Judge 
J.  0.  Cunningham,  who,  though  feeble  in  health  as  the  work  progressed, 
freely  gave  of  his  time  and  advice.  Had  he  not  been  called  away,  he 
would  have  made  several  special  contributions  to  this  history.  It  has 
been  thought  both  wise  and  expedient,  therefore,  to  make  generous 
extracts  from  the  history  which  he  had  already  published. 

In  taking  farewell  of  Judge  Cunningham  and  this  history  of  Cham- 
paign County,  it  is  appropriate  to  call  special  attention  to  the  prospectus 
which  was  issued  by  the  company  of  publication,  a  paper  which  was  a 
promise  to  those  interested  in  the  progress  of  the  county,  to  cover  a 
multitude  of  topics  relating  to  its  past  and  present  activities;  and,  as 
the  history  goes  forth,  to  assert  that  all  the  promises  therein  contained 
have  been  fulfilled,  as  far  as  is  humanly  possible. 

J.  R.  STEWART. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTEE   I 
PHYSICAL   FEATURES : 1 

CHAPTER   II 
HISTORIC  RULE  OF  THE  WHITES 35 

CHAPTER   III 
FLEETING  GLIMPSES  OF  THE  RED  MAN ; 86 

CHAPTER   IV 
PIONEER  SETTLERS  AND  EVENTS 96 

CHAPTER   V 
COUNTY  MATTERS  AND  INSTITUTIONS 135 

CHAPTER   VI 
LEGAL  AND  MEDICAL 172 

CHAPTER   VII 
SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHERS 212 

CHAPTER   VIII 
THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 239 

CHAPTER   IX 
THE  RAILROADS 329 

CHAPTER   X 
COUNTY'S  MILITARY  RECORD 351 

V 


vi  HISTOKY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

PAGE 

CHAPTEK    XI 
TOWNSHIP  AND  CITY  OF  CHAMPAIGN 365 

CHAPTBE   XII 
URBANA  TOWNSHIP  AND  CITY 422 

CHAPTER   XIII 
EANTOUL  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE 457 

CHAPTER   XIV 
HOMER  VILLAGE  AND  SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP 469 

CHAPTER   XV 
BROWN  TOWNSHIP  AND  FISHER 477 

CHAPTER   XVI 

• 

ST.  JOSEPH  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE 482 

CHAPTER   XVII 
MAHOMET  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE 489 

CHAPTER   XVIII 
TOLONO  AND  SIDNEY  TOWNSHIPS 496 

CHAPTER   XIX 
AYERS  AND  RAYMOND  TOWNSHIPS 505 

CHAPTER   XX 
SADORUS  AND  PESOTUM  TOWNSHIPS 510 

.CHAPTER   XXI 
PHILO  AND  OGDEN  TOWNSHIPS  AND  VILLAGES 514 

CHAPTER   XXII 
OTHER  TOWNSHIPS,  VILLAGES  AXD  STATIONS 518 


INDEX 


Abbott,  S.  C.,  491 

Abbott,  W.  G.,  410 

Accredited  high  schools,  316 

Adams,  Charles  E.,  394 

Adams,  E.  F.,  385 

Adams,  G.  H.,  396 

Adams,  N.  H.,  207 

Adams,  Noble,  492 

Adkins,  Lewis,  120 

Adkins  Point,  5,  120 

Agricultural  and  Industrial  University, 
242 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  265,  312 

Agricultural  societies,   26 

Agricultural  university  extension  serv- 
ice, 320 

Akers,  George,  139,  163 

Alblinger,  A.  F.,  513 

Albright,  A.  C.,  206 

Alexander,  J.  O.,  585 

Algonquins,  86 

Allen,  A.  A.,  487 

Allen,  F.  M.,  430 

Allen,  Henry,  507 

Allender,  John,  395 

Allison,  Harvey,   1022 

Allison,  W.  H.,  481 

Altitudes,  6 

Ambraw  settlement,  3 

American  civil  government  northwesf  of 
the  Ohio,  66 

Amsbary,  F.  C.,  383,  391,  412,  632 

Amsler,  Arthur  C.,  509 

Amsler,  Clyde  C.,  509 

Andel,  Casimer,  361 

Anders,  Elijah  J.,  876 

Anderson,  A.  G.,  509 

Anderson,  David,   96,   99 

Anderson,  W.  B.,  445 

Andrews,  E.   N.,   395 

Angel,   J.    H.,    382 

Appellate  courts,  182 

Apple   growers,   22 

Apples,  22 

Archdeacon,  William,  355 

Argo,  M.  H.,  920 

Armentrout,  A.  C.,  396 

Armory  and  Aviation  Corps   (view),  361 

Arms,   A.   A.   983 

Arnold,  I.  B.,  388 

Artificial  drainage,   13 

Asher,  Levi,  218 

Aspern,  Henry  F.,  389 


Ater,  Edward,  159,  164,  187,  431 

Atherton,  George  W.,  387,  388 

Atkinson,  Samuel  P.,  383,  410,  552 

Atkinson,  W.  E.,  432 

Atwood,  Green,  145,  164,  471 

Austin,  John  H.,  355 

Avey,  Francis  M.,  628 

Ayers,  Alexander   M.,   187,  359 

Ayers,  Homer  W.,   359 

Ayers  township,  505-509 

Babb,  Charles,    646 

Babb,  Charles  D.,   957 

Babb,  Edwin   P.,   608 

Babb,  George  J.,  373,  757 

Babb,  Milton,    608 

Babcock,  Kendric  C.,  303,  305,  306 

Bacon,  Mrs.  Jonathan,  382,  407 

Baddeley,  Charles,  382 

Baddeley,  C.    H.,    419 

Baddeley,  John   C.,   344,   368 

Baddeley,  T.   J.,    420 

Bagley,  William  C.,  306 

Bailey,  David,  414,  589 

Bailey,  Edward,   359,  414,   591 

Bailey,  Fred    S.,    667 

Bailey,  John,  516 

Bainum,   J.    H.,   410 

Baird,   Harriet,   947 

Baird,  L.  W.,  947 

Baker,  Charles    E.,   420 

Baker,  Edward   C.,   971 

Baker,  Garrett   H.,    454 

Baker,  I.  A.,  475 

Baker,  James   C.,   447 

Ball,   R.   G.,   478 

Ballantine,  Henry  W.,  303,  305 

Banes,   E.,   221 

Bank  founded  in  West  Urbana,  370 

Bank  of  Broadlands,  508 

Bank  of  Tolono,  498 

Banking   legislation,   81 

Bar  (see  Lawyers) 

Barber,   James,  975 

Barnes,  'N.  O.,  476 

Bartholomew,  James  M.,  202 

Bartholow,  E.   C.,  210,  211 

Bartholow,  J.  M.,  205 

Bartley,  Benjamin,  483 

Bartley,  George,   483 

Bartley,  Jacob,   139,  163j  483,  486 

Bartley,  Sarah,    484 

Bartling,  Henry,  360 


Vlll 


INDEX 


Barton,  R.  S.  385 

Barton,  W.  F.,  476 

Bartow,   Edward,   314 

Bassett,   Rollo   8.,   576 

BatcMor,  S.  W.,  401 

Bauman,  C.  P.,  493 

Baxter,  Noah,  129 

Beach,  B.  C.,  373,  388,  389,  520 

Beach,  H.  C.,  388 

Bear,  Henry   C.,   732 

Bear,  Lou   N.,    164 

Beard,  Joseph   H.,   304 

Beardsley,  George  F.,  382,  383,  393,  410 

Beardsley,  H.,  388 

Beardsley  park,  393 

Bearse,  S.  L.,  203 

Beasley,  A.  W.,  420 

Beasley,  J.   S.,   382 

Beasley,  Nat  C.,  419,  420 

Beck,  J.  N.,  410 

Beck,  William  C.,  430 

Beckley,  Isaac  G.,  119 

Beers,  John  N.,  383,  391,  419 

Behrens,  ^Herman  H.,  858 

Beidler,  Aaron,   387,  388 

Beidler,  Annie  M.,  389 

Beiser,  Frederick,  367 

Bench   (see  Courts  and  Judges) 

Benedict,  J.  A.,  223 

Bengtson,  Engward,  745 

Bennett,  J.,  473 

Bensyl,  J.  B.,  1045 

Bensyl,   J.   W.,   901 

Bercher,  Theodore,  431 

Berger,  A.  J.,  394 

Berkley,  T.  P.,  918 

Berks,  Henry  W.,  383,  389,  413,  419,  420 

Besore,  C.  A.,  431 

Betzer,  I.  L.,  387 

Bevier,  Isabel,  323 

Bialeschke,  Herman  J.,   1030 

Biekley,  Samuel  G.,  131 

Big  Elm,  Where  Lincoln  made  Famous 

Speech    (view),   153 
Big  Four  (Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago 

&  St.  Louis  Railroad),  348 
Big  Grove,  2,  120,  136,  141 
Bigelow,  Edward,  385,  410 
Bill,   A.   J.,   479 
Birch,   Charles,   722 
Birds  as  insect  destroyers,  14 
Birdsell,  E.   L,   207 
Bireline,   Leo   H.,   619 
Birney,  S.  H.,  203,  205,  211,  355 
Bishop,  Thomas,  431 
Black  Hawk  War,  352,  353 
Black,  John  C.,   192 
Blaine,  Boyd  S.,  420,  586 
Elaine,  Scott  W.,  953 
Blaine,  Shields  A.,  373,  414 
Blanchard,  W.  W.,  369,  394 
Blasberg,  D.,  508 
Block,  348 


Block,  Theodore  L.,  639 

Blue,  Anthony  H.,  696 

Blue,  J.    H.,    640 

Blue,  L.   H.,   715 

Board  of  examiners  in  accountancy,  315 

Bocock,  John  W.,  924 

Boggs,  Franklin  H.,  183,  403,  431 

Bois,   J.  J.,   464 

Boland,  J.  T.,  373 

Bondville,   206,   347,   521 

Bongard,   348 

Bongart,  M.,  410 

Bowen,  E.  L.,  473 

Bowen,  H.    F.,   394 

Bowen,  William,   388 

Bower,  H.   S.,   498 

Bower,  Robert  A.,  211,  497 

Bower,  R.  A.,  Jr.,  498 

Bower,  S.    M.,    498 

Bower,  William  T.,  498 

Bowermaster,   James  A.,  420 

Bowman,  Ray  L.,  389 

Bowsher,  C.  A.,  385 

Bowse's  Grove,  3 

Boyd,  James,   124 

Boyd,  James  W.,  92 

Boyden,   Ezekiel,   356,   431 

Boys,  Charles,  851 

Bradley,  Benjamin  C.,  6,  463 

Bradley,  Daniel,  355  \? 

Bradshaw,  Arthur,  147,  151,  444,  445,  473 

Bradshaw,  Jacob,  164 

Brand,  Alonzo  S.,   1030 

Brauer,  Asahel,   177 

Brayshaw,  Joseph,  945 

Breese,   Sidney,   334,   340 

Brennon,   Cornelia,   1065 

Brennon,  Patrick,   1065 

Bridges,  145 

Broadlands,   206,  348,  505,  507 

Broadlands  Grain  and  Coal  Company,  507 

Bronson,  Howard  G.,  330 

Browder,  Olin  L.,  431,  672 

Brown,  Anderson,   463 

Brown,  F.   M.,   420 

Brown,  George  C.,  1028 

Brown,  James   N.,   299 

Brown,  John   W.,   1023 

Brown,  Myron   S.,  202,  203,   356,  431 

Brown,  Robert   H.,   203,   356 

Brown,  Seely,    420 

Brown,  Steven,   478 

Brown  township,  477,  478 

Brown,  William  B.,  888 

Brownell,  Chester  D.,  412,   786 

Brownfield,  Henry  M.,  926 

Brownfield,  John,  120,  163,  185,  218,  351 

Brownfield  Road,   129 

Brownfield,  Robert,   124,  351 

Brownlee,  Jas.   H.,  431 

Bruer,  Asahel,  147,  223 

Bruner,   F.   C.,   445 

Bryan,  John,   5,  489 


INDEX 


IX 


Bryan 's   Ford,   5 

Bryant,   Martin   S.,   446 

Buch,  Jacob,   165,  410 

Buchan,  Jay  G.,  808 

Buck,  Catherine,  758 

Buck,  Eli,  758 

Buck  Grove,  521 

Buck,  Thomas,   663 

Buhs,  Herman   H.,   989 

Buhs,  John  C.,  990 

Building  and  Loan  Associations,  84 

Bullock,  H.   E.,  465 

Bundy,  Herman  W.,  1029 

Bunn,   D.   P.,   447 

Burbee,  Charles  L.,  454 

Burke,  A.  M.,  414 

Burke,  E.  I.,  414 

Burke,  P.  B.,  164 

Burkhardt,  C.  B.,  474 

Burnham,  Albert  C.,  387,  388,  405,  408, 

412,  626 
Burnham    Athaeneum,    Champaign,    387; 

(view),  386 

Burnham,  Mrs.  A.  C.,  383,  407 
Burnham  Hospital    (view),  404 
Burnham,  Julia  F.,  405,  408 
Burnham,    Julia    F.,    Endowment    Fund, 

388 

Burnham,   Eobert   D.,   389,   409,   627 
Burning   of   the   High   School,   Mahomet 

(view),  492 

Burr,  Ellis  M.,  164,  412 
Burr,  George  W.,   165 
Burr  Oak  Grove,  4,  516 
Burres,  W.  F.,  205,  206 
Burrill,  Mrs.    T.   J.,   407 
Burrill,  Thomas  J.,  268,  271,  307,  433 
Burrows,   A.   T.,   439 
Burt,  Benjamin,   359 
Burt,  Thomas   A.,    164,   454 
Burton,  E.   V.,   165 
Burton,  William   D.,   561 
Burwash,  Margaret,  691 
Burwash,   Samuel   L.,  690 
Burwash,  Thomas  N.,  202 
Busch,  Louis  A.,   165,   530 
Busey,  Clyde  L.,  970 
Busey,  George  W.,  118,  414,  454 
Busey,   Isaac,    119,    120,    122,    133,    139, 

163,   428,   429,   489 
Busey,  James   S.,   423 
Busey,  Martin   K.,   922 
Busey,  Mary  E.,  558 
Busey,  Matthew,    141,    143 
Busey,  Matthew  W.,   118,  145,   164,  404, 

409,  414,  452,  454,  558 
Busey,  Matthew  W.   (Colonel),  117,  118, 

119,  122,  146,  147,  161,  185,  366,  429 
Busey,  Mrs.  M.  W.,  409 
Busey,  Mrs.  8.  T.,  408,  437,  456 
Busey    Memorial    Library     (see    Urbana 

Free  Library) 
Busey,  Paul  G.,  454 


Busey,  Samuel    T.,    119,    354,    357,    431, 

452,  556 

Busey,  Simeon  H.,  117,  452 
Busey 's  State  Bank,  452,  454 
Butler,  M.,  445 
Butler,     N.,   383 

Butler,  Thomas  L.,  119,  353,  499 
Butterfield,  James,  360 
Butzow,  Edward,  1058 
Butzow,  Jennie,  1060 
Byerly,  A.  C.,  445 
Byers,   Mijamin,    136,   144 

Cain,  Patrick  H.,  873 

Cairo  City  &  Canal  Company,  336 

Cadet  Brigade,  University  of  Illinois,  363 

Caldwell,  C.  Maxwell,  609 

Campbell,  Alexander,   498 

Campbell,  Archa,  164,  185,  186,  346,  430, 
431,  459 

Campbell,  Archibald  B.,  498,   1021 

Campbell,  Felix  G.,   742 

Campbell,  John,   345 

Campbell,  J.    M.,   410 

Campbell,  Lewis,    499 

Campbell,  Peter   S.,   647 

Campbell,  T.  H.,   164 

Canning  Club  in  Action  (view),  30 

Cannon,  Daniel  D.,   164 

Cannon,  Joseph  G.,   164,   181 

Cannon,  J.  H.,  448 

Capital  moved  to  Springfield,  78 

Capron,  Hazen  S.,  389,  414,  547 

Capron,  Mrs.  H.  S.,  407 

Carle,  A.  G.,  430 

Carley,  Mark,  368,  370,  569 

Carman,  I.  N.,  401 

Carman,  Mrs.  A.  P.,  407 

Carnahan,  Mrs.  D.  F.,  407 

Games,  Columbus,  463 

Carpenter,  J.   C.,  503 

Carroll,   P.   D.,  445 

Carrothers,  John,  439 

Carter,  Florence  E.,  389 

Carter,  Joseph,   385 

Carter,  Mrs.  Joseph,  409 

Cartwright,  Peter,  444 

Catron,   A.,   208 

Cavalry  Companies  in  the  Civil  War,  360 

Central   Illinois  counties,   early  isolation 
of,  330 

Central  Illinois  Gazette,  415 

Central  School,  Champaign,  380 

Ceramic   engineering,   322 

Cereals,  13,  21 

Chaffee,  D.   H.,  497 

Chaffee,  Herman,  201,  209 

Chamberlin,  T.   C.,   314 

Chambers,  William  M.,  211 

Champaign   and    Urbana    Gas,    Light    & 

Coke  Company,   349 

Champaign    and    Urbana    Water    Com- 
pany,  350,   390 


INDEX 


Champaign  and  Urbana  Water  Works 
(view),  390 

Champaign  and  Urbana  W»nan's  Club, 
409 

Champaign  Art  Club,  406 

Champaign  (township  and  city),  206, 
349,  365-421;  first  buildings  erected 
in,  368;  name  adopted,  369;  commis- 
sion form  of  government,  371;  mayors, 
373;  public  school  buildings,  377-382; 
West  High  School,  379;  newspapers, 
415. 

Champaign  Chamber  of  Commerce,  410 

Champaign  Chapter  No.  50,  B.  A.  M.,  420 

Champaign  Commandery  No.  68,  K.  T., 
420 

Champaign  County  Agricultural,  Horti- 
cultural and  Mechanical  Association,  28 

Champaign  County  Fair  and  Driving 
Association,  29,  432 

Champaign  County  Farmers'  Institute, 
29,  32 

Champaign  County  Country  Club,  409 

Champaign  County  Herald,  439 

Champaign  County  Medical  Society,   203 

Champaign  County  News,  416,  685 

Champaign  Gazette,  415 

Champaign  High  School,   376,  382 

Champaign  High  School   (view),  374 

Champaign  High  School  (1893),  (view), 
384 

Champaign  High  School  (1913),  (view), 
384 

Champaign  Lodge  No.  333,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
420 

Champaign  Masonry  (by  Edwin  A. 
Kratz),  416 

Champaign  National  Bank,  414 

Champaign  Social  Science  Club,  408 

Chandler,  Guy  B.,  459 

Chanute  Aviation  Field,  Eantoul,  467 

Chase,  S.  W.  D.,  441,  444 

Chapin,  Dennis,  514 

Chapin,  E.  B.,  416,  498 

Chapin,  E.    J.,   498 

Chapman,  Bert  L.,  973 

Cheever,  D.  A.,  388  t 

Chenoweth,    Charles,    814 

Cherry  Grove,  4 

Cherry,  Henry,  824 

Chester,  Elias,  366 

Chester,  E.  E.,  366,  373 

Chester,  E.  O.,  366,  409 

Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Eailroad,  348, 
509,  516 

Chicago  &  Indiana  Coal  Company,  348 

Childs,  I.  C.,  387 

Choate,   Sidney  G.,  361 

Cholera  epidemic  of  1834,  194 

Cholera  epidemic  of  1854,  199,  200 

Church,  John  W.,   892 

Churchill,  E.  Clarence,  509,  1004 

Churchill,  Jason  E.,  908 


Christian,  A.  M.,  497 

Christian  Church,  Fisher,  481 

Circular  hunt,  128 

Circuit  Court,  159,  173,  175,  178,  180, 
181,  183,  429;  first  term,  150 

Cities,  population    (1833-1917),   169 

City  of  Champaign,  370 

City  Park  (see  White  Park),  Champaign 

Citizens  Bank  of  Tolono,  498 

Citizens  State  Bank,  Champaign,  414 

Civil  War,  354-360 

Clark,  Cyrus  S.,  164 

Clark,  Florence  W.,  404 

Clark,  Henry   B.,    1033 

Clark,  Jessie,  1034 

Clark,  John,  614 

Clark,  John  A.,  616 

Clark,  Nathan  M.,  164,  344,  354,  359,  368 

Clark,  Thomas  A.,  303,  304,  387 

Clark,  William  G.,  516 

Cleghorn,  A.,  401 

Clements,  James,  163,  164 

Clennon,  Martin  J.,  874 

Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Eailroad,  348 

Cline,  Eoy  E.,  814 

Clippinger,  E.  W.,  394 

Coe,  C.  S.,  512 

Coffeen,  M.  D.,  470,  472 

Coffman,  David  H.,  750 

Coffman,  Harry  A.,  751 

Coffman,  William  H.,  360,  410,  599 

Coggeshall,  Fielding  A.,  165 

Coggeshall,  Job  S.,  207 

Cogswell,  George  E.,  420 

Cohen,  Sidney,  361 

Cole,  George,  503 

Cole,  Morris  F.,  885 

Cole,  W.  E.,  550 

Coler,  William  N.,  189,  354,  356,  366,  430, 
438 

Collan,  B.  A.,  420 

College  of  Agriculture,  284,  320 

College  of  Dentistry  organized,  274 

College  of  Engineering  founded,  256 

College  yell  adopted,  297 

Collison,  Fred,  414 

Collison,  Louis   G.,   666 

Colonel  Nodine  Post  No.  140,  G.  A.  E., 
409 

Columbia,  C.  F.,  382,  420 

Colvin,  Thomas  J.,  561 

Commercial  Bank,  Champaign,  414 

Commercial  Bank,  Philo,  515 

Commission  form  of  government  in  Cham- 
paign, 371 

Company  A,  Twentieth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, 355 

Company  M,  Fourth  Eegiment,  I.  N.  G., 
360 

Compromise  Township,  521 

Concrete  Wallows  for  Swine  (view),  27 

Conger,  Josiah,  120,  500 


INDEX 


XI 


Conkey,  A.  J.,  476 

Conkey,  Frank  M.,  951 

Conkey,  Lillian,  475 

Conkey,  William  A.,  110,  197,  207,  473 

Conklin,  J.  C.,  388 

Conner,  Wilson,  605 

Connor,  Patrick,  654 

Clark,  Anna  S.,  407 

Constitution  of  1848,  80 

Constitution  of  1870,  84 

Coogler,  F.  8.,  420 

Cook,  John,  496 

Cook,  Isham,  123,  130 

Cook,  Orie  A.,  906  . 

Coolley,  L.  H.,  508 

Coolley,  William  A.,  508,  1034 

Coons,   Emma,   940 

Coons,  Jacob  S.,  939 

Cooper,  Albert  E.,  1005 

Cooper,  Charles,  218 

Cooper,  George,  491 

Cooter,  David,  478 

Corbett,  J.  A.,  498 

Corbly,  Lindsey,  703 

Cord,  Truman  O.,  946 

Core,  Henry  C.,  164 

Core,  James,  203,  207,  210 

Corn,  13,  (view)  24 

Corray's  Grove,  4 

Cotton,  Charlie  N.,  957 

Coughlin,  William,  373 

Country     Club     House     and     Grounds 

(view),  410 

County  Court,  159,  186 
County  divided  into  election   districts, 

140 

County  finances,  167,  (1846)  148 
County  Jail,  First  (view),  146 
Countv  judges,  186 
County  of  Illinois,  64,  66 
County  poor  farm,  163 
County  seat  contest,  140 
County  seat  fixed,  132 
County  superintendents  of  schools,  228 
County  teachers'  institutes,  227 
Court  of  county  commissioners  created, 

159 
Courthouse,  Jail  and  Sheriff's  Residence 

(1901)   (view),  160 
Courthouses,  144,  149,  152,  158,  159,  177, 

219 

Courtney,  William  E.,  361 
Courts,  173-188 
Cow  (view),  108 
Cowden,  James,  484 
Cox,  David,  164 
Coyle,  Anthony,  1053 
Craig,  C.  M.,  205 
Craigmile,  Alexander,  555 
Crandall,  Charles  E.,  439 
Crandall,  David  S.,  438 
Crane,  A.  Jackson,  203 
Crane,  F.,  445 


Crane,  Lauzarah  V.,  785 

Craven,  Ben.  J.,  410 

Crawford,  Augustus,  223 

Crawford,  Augustus  S.,  520 

Creamer,  James  A.,  498,  1023 

Creative  Act  of  Champaign  County,  137 

Cromer,  John  C.,  475 

Cross,  Abraham,  465 

Cross,  F.  E.,  465 

"Crusher,"  noted  cavalry  horse,  1054 

Crystal  Lake  Park,  Urbana  (view),  432 

Culver,  J.  D.,  207 

Cummings,  J.  W.,  448 

Cunningham,  A.  P.,  343,  410,  431 

Cunningham  Children's  Home,  448, 
(view)  449 

Cunningham  Deaconess  Home  and  Or- 
phanage (see  Cunningham  Children's 
Home) 

Cunningham,  George  N.,  389,  754 

Cunningham,  J.  O.,  134,  146,  152,  187, 
227,  344,  415,  427,  432,  438,  448,  527 

Cunningham,  Mary  M.,  528 

Cuppernell,  Delia,  1017 

Cuppernell,  Mary  M.,  1016 

Cuppernell,  Mayme,  1017 

Cuppernell,  Merit  V.,  1016 

Current,  Fay  E.,  473,  476 

Current,  James  M.,  1014 

Curtis,  George  W.,  454 

Cushing,  H.  E.,  205 

Cushing,  Mrs.  H.  E.,  407 

Custer,  Benjamin  M.,  1039 

Custer,  James,  520 

Cutcheon,  L.  M.,  227 

Dairy  products,  14 

Dale,  Charles  W.,  487,  1047 

Dale,  F.  L.,  487 

Dale,  William  O.,  790 

Dallenbach,  J.  J.,  417,  419 

Dallenbach,  John  C.,  677 

Daly,  Charles  A.,  515,  860 

Danville,  Urbana  &  Champaign  Eailway 

Company,  35 
Danville,  Urbana,  Bloomington  &  Pekin 

Eailroad,  426 
Darrah,  A.  T.,  203,  204 
Davenport,  Eugene,  303,  305,  312,  322 
Davidson,  George  W.,  391 
Davidson,  James  W.,  164,  419 
Davidson,  Mrs.  J.  T.,  408 
Davies,  James  M.,  164,  431 
Davis,  David,  180 
Davis,  George  W.,  164 
Davis,  Henry    E.,    1049 
Davis,  Henry  K.,  438 
Davis,  Jehu  E.,  1015 
Davis,  Joseph,  500 
Davis,  Josiah,  447 
Davis,  Maud,  1049 
Davis,  Oliver  L.,  181 
Davis,  W.  A.,  449 


Xll 


INDEX 


Day,  Jeremiah,  520 

Day,  W.  A.,  373 

Day,  William,  391 

Day,  William  B.,  306 

Dead  Man 's  Grove,  4 

Dean,  James,  131 

Dean  of  Women's  Department  created, 

•  274 

DeBurn,  Eugene,  387 
Decker,  Charles  G.,  1009 
Decker,  T.  H.,  480 
Delaney,  Frank,  846 
DeLong  Brothers,  1027 
DeLong,   Edward   B.,   1027 
DeLong,  William  H.,  1027 
Denhart,  Louis,  972 
Denhart,    Sophia,    972 
Denton,  F.  D.,  503 

Department  of  Domestic  Science  estab- 
lished, 297 
Department  of  Forestry  and  Landscape 

Gardening  established,  298 
Dewey,  347,  523 
Dewey  Bank,  523 
Dewey,  M.  A.,  32 
DeWolf,  Frank  W.,  315 
Dick,   Jesse   N.,    1063 
Dickerson,  J.,  373 
Diller,  F.  S.,  205 
Dilley,  Charles,  349 
Dillon,  William,  205 
Dillsburg,  520 
Dillsburg  Township,  520 
Diseases,  123 
Divan,  Isaac,  928 
Dobbins,  Oliver  B.,  373,  578 
Dobson,  Carl,  478 
Dobson,  Franklin,  459,  523 
Dodds,  J.  C.,  205 
Dodds,  Joseph,  807 
Dodge,  John  W.,  459,  463,  519 
Dodson,  Ira  H.,  1050 
Dodson,  Levi,  373 
Dollinger,  F.,  388 
Donaldson,  Tiffin,  222 
Dorcas  Society,  Champaign,  406 
Doty,  George  E.,  361 
Downing,  William  J.,  778 
Downs,  Nancy  I.,  896 
Draper,  Andrew  S.,  271,  275,  279 
Draper,  Mrs.  A.  A.,  447 
Dresser,  D.  W.,  402 
Drift,  8 

Driskell,  George,  648 
Duncan,  Joseph,  77 
Duncan  school  law,  215 
Dundas,  J.  W.,  481 
Dunham,  John,  126,  440 
Dunlap,  H.  J.,  21,  29,  367,  415,  420 
Dunlap,  H.  M.,  367 
Dunlap,  Mrs.  H.  M.,  408 
Dunlap,  M.  L.,  21,  23,  157,  366,  417 


Dunlap  Orchards,  Savoy  (view),  367 
Dunn,  J.  B.,  884 
Dunn,  Matison  F.,  905 
Dutch  Flats,  6 
Dyer,  C.,  32 

Eads,  Frank,  463 

Eads,  Luther,  462 

Eads,  L.  T.,  165 

Eagleton,  Charles  M.,  760 

Ealey,  W.  M.,  714 

Earhart,  W.  R.,  452 

Early  deaths,  123 

Early  tax  payers,  132 

Early,  Thomas  J.,  983 

Earnest,  William  W.,  385,  529. 

East  Bend  Township,  522 

East  High  School,  Champaign,  379 

Eaton,  David,  514 

Eaton,  Lucius,  514 

Eaton,   T.   C.,   447 

Edens,  Henry  J.  F.,  989 

Edgar,  J.  P.,  473 

Educational  (see  Schools  and  Teachers) 

Edwards,  James  L.,  908 

Ekblaw,  Andrew,  775 

Elder,  James  G,  206 

Elliott,  Amos,  857 

Elliott,  Mrs.  W.  J.,  475 

Emmanuel  Episcopal      Church,      Cham-    , 
paign,  401 

Emmanuel  Memorial  Church  (see  Em- 
manuel Episcopal  Church,  Cham- 
paign) 

Engineering  Experiment  Station,  312, 
316 

English  Brothers,  593 

English,  Edward  C.,  Jr.,  593 

English,  Richard  C.,  593 

Episcopal  Church,  Hantoul,  465 

Erb,  John  L.,  306 

Ernst,  Ferdinand,  75 

Esworthy,  J.  R.,  597 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Immanuel  Church, 
Broadlands,  508 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Cham- 
paign, 396 

Evans,  Augustus  M.,  164,  691 

Evans,  Joseph,  366 

Evans,  William  F.,  763 

Exton,  George  W.,  431 

Exton,  T.  J.,  205 

Eycleshymer,  Albert  C.,  303 

Fagaly,  F.  M.,  819 
Fair  Association,  29 
Fairclo,  George  C.,  693 
Fairfield,  Charles,  833 
Farlow,  Lawrence  E.,  883 
Farm  Bureau,  34 
Farmers'  Club,  29 

Farmers'  Elevator  Company,  Rantoul, 
464 


INDEX 


Xlll 


Farnam,  Jeffrey  A.,  344,  368 

Farr,  A.  ii.,  400 

Faulkner,  L.  W.,  420 

Fay,  A.  F.,  454 

Fenimore,  Alice,  1068 

Fenimore,  George  W.,  1067 

Fenwick,  M.,  909 

Ferguson,  William,  480 

Fernald,  W.  J.,  205 

Ficklin,  O.  B.,  178 

Fielder,  Charles,  124 

Fielder,  Runnel,  101.  121,  122,  136,  428 

Filbey,  Edward  J.,  303 

Filson,  J.  E.,  420 

Finch,  J.  H.,  205 

Finfrock,  Chancy  L.,  710 

Fiock,  John,  582 

Fiock,    Mary    E.,    583 

Fire  of  1866  (Champaign),  371 

First  assessment  in  county  (1833),  165 

First  Baptist  Church,  Champaign,  400 

First  Baptist  Church,  Urbana,  445 

First  Brick    House    in    Urbana    (1841) 

(view),  453 

First  bridge  in  the  county,  486 
First  Champaign    High    School    (West 

Side)    (view),  381 

First  Christian  Church,  Urbana,  447 
First  Church  of  Christ  Scientist,  Cham- 
paign, 403 

First  Congregational      Church,      Cham- 
paign, 369,  394 

First  counties  of  Illinois  state,  73 
First  county  jail,  146 
First  criminal  indictment,  176 
First  East    Side    High    School    (view), 

381 
First     Henry     Sadorus     Home     (1824) 

(view),  511 
First  land  entries,  122 
First  Methodist       Episcopal       Church, 

Champaign,  395 

First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Ur- 
bana Mill,  442 
First  murder  trial,  179 
First  National     Bank     of     Champaign, 

413,  545 

First  National  Bank,  Ogden,  517 
First  National  Bank,  Urbana,  454 
First  organized  drainage  district,  486 
First  poor  farm  in  the  county,  486 
First  Presbyterian.  Church,  Champaign, 

368,  393 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  Urbana,  446 
First  public  park  in  county,  344 
First  public  school  in  Champagin,  369 
First  railroad  enters  Urbana,  343 
First  School  in  Cha/npaign  (view),  378 
First  Schoolhouse    Built    near    Urbana 

(1832)   (view),  217 

First  school    on    the    Sangamon    Eiver, 
218 


First  state  constitutional  convention,  71 

First  state  officers,  72 

First  State    Trust    and    Savings   Bank, 

Urbana,  454 

First  University  Bank,  Urbana,  455 
First  voting  precincts,  136 
Fisher,  206,  478     ' 
Fisher,  David  G.,  624 
Fisher  electric  light  plant,  479 
Fisher,  Luther,  503 
Fisher  Reporter,  479 
Fisher,  R.  T.,  165 
Fisher  Times,  479 
Flannigan,  A.  S.,  445 
Flannigan,  Joseph,  499 
Flatt,  Alba  J.,  520,  777 
Flatt,  Ross  A.,  520,  1045 
Flatville,  522 
Fleming,  S.  L.,  420 
Fletcher,  Mary  A.,  222,  385 
Flower,  Lucy  L.,  265 
Fluck,  M.  J.  A.,  420 
Flynn,  B.  F.,  399 
Flynn,  George  W.,  356,  415,  438 
Foos  farm,  478 
Foos,  F.  W.,  478 
Foosland,  206,  348,  478 
Foos,  William,  478 
Foote,  W.  J.,  165 
Forbes,   Mrs.   S.  A.,  408,  409 
Forbes,  Stephen  A.,  313 
Ford,  Caswell  P.,  356 
Ford,  John,  484 
Fords,  5 
Fort  Chartres,   51,   57,   60;   passes  into 

British  hands,  58 
Fort  Clark,  101 
Fort  Crevecoeur,  47,  48 
Foster,  William  P.,  174 
Fowler,    Leland   S.,    634 
Fowler,  W.  B.,  417 
Fowler,  Xenophon  M.,  449 
Fox,  J.,  445 

Fox,  Samuel  C.,  164,  431 
Frame,  John  S.,  394 
Frame,  Robert  A.,  359 
Frampton,  Mrs.  M.  M.,  389 
Francis,  W.  G.,  504 
Franks,  George  B.,  373,  734 
Franks,  Richard  M.,  936 
Frawley,  W.  E.,  400 
Frederick,  Eugene  P.,  360 
Free   School  Law  of  1825,  77 
Freeman,  Elias,  828 
Freeman,  James  J.,  1038 
Freeman,  John  T.,  1012 
Freeman,  Roy  C.,  188,  716 
Freer,  Louise,  304 
Freese,  A.  H.,  517 
Fremont  campaign,  152,  154 
French,  Augustus  C.,  177 


XIV 


INDEX 


French-English    contests   for   the    Ohio 

Valley,  56 

French-Illinois  settlements,  53 
French  rule,  36 
Frison,  Adam,  410 
Fruits,  21 
Fulkersou,  T.,  194 
Fuller,  J.  E.,  692 
Fulton,  William  G.,  1031 
Fultz,   Joseph,   551 
Funkhouser,  Alexander,  656 
Funston,   John  H.,   897 

Gabbert,  David,  122,  127 
Gage,  W.  D.,  443,  445 
Gallagher,  Arthur  J.,  182 
Gallion,  C.  H.,  485 
Gallion,  V.  J.,  487 
Gallivau,  John  E.,  604 
Gardner,  D.,  373 
Gardner,  E.  A.,  420 
Gardner,  Harry,  454 
Gardner,  John  D.,  207 
Gardner,  John  H.,  207 
Garman,  W.  8.,  165 
Garwood  Home  for  Old  Ladies,  405 
Garwood,  L.  C.,  405 
Garwood,  Mrs.  Gish,  383 
Gates,  Fanny  C.,  303,  304 
Gaueh,  Jacob  P.,  369,  420 
Gay,  W.,  445 
Gehrke,  Carl  H.,  801 
Gehrke,  Robert  C.,  802 
Gehrt,  John  E.,  607 
Gehrt,   Julius   M.,   735 
Genung,  Z.  B.,  32 
Gerald,  348 

Gere,    George  W.,  192,  388,  389 
Gere,  James  S.,  190 
Gere,  John,  430 
Gere,  Mrs.   G.   W.,   407,   408 
'Geyer,  A.  A.,  400 
Gibbs,  H.  C.,  445 
Gifford,  206,  347,  521 
Gifford,  Benjamin,  206 
Gillespie,  James,  209 
Gilmer,  U.  Z.,  445 
Gilmore,  Alva,  480,  958 
Glaciers,  6 
Glascock,  H.  A.,  410 
Glascock,  Jesse  R.,  955 
Gleason,  S.  F.,  492,  494 
Glover,  John  A.,  409,  431 
Glover,  Mrs.  John  A.,  408 
Goddard,  A.  S.,  445,  494 
Goff,  M.  A.,  391 
Golden,  Cecil  L.,  894 
Gooding,  Asa,  514 
Goodwin,  William,  204 
Goodwin,  William  K.,  203 
Goodwin,  William  M.,  203 
Goose  Pond  Church   (see  First  Congre- 
gational) 


Gordon,  Charles,  743 

Gordon,  Ellen,  713 

Gordon,    George    C.,    917 

Gordon,  Joseph,  713 

Gordon,  Thomas,  642 

Gorman,  Jerry,  1001 

Graduate  School,  285 

Graff,  Franklin  L.,  395 

Graham,  Abraham,  644 

Graham,  Hugh,  1056 

Grand  Prairie,  116 

Grant,  Alexander  F.,  175 

Gray,  C.  A.,  465 

Gray,  J.  M.,  474 

Gray,  William  L.,  720 

Gray,  W.,  465 

Gray,  W.  L.,  205,  383,  409 

Great   Northern   Cross   Railroad,   79 

Great  Western  Railway  (Holbrook) 
Company,  336,  338,  515 

Great  Western  Railroad  (see  also  To- 
ledo, Wabash  &  Western),  501 

Greene,  Evarts  B.,  575 

Gregg,  Samuel  M.,  684 

Gregory,  John  M.,  250,  251,  260,  292,  407 

Grein,  Chris,  410 

Gridley,  Asahel,  179 

Griggs,  Clark  R.,  426,  431,  514 

Grimes,  Annie  R.,  835 

Grimes,  L.  P.,  834 

Groenendyke,  Samuel,  470 

Groves,  2 

Groves,  John  I.,  635 

Groves,  Robert,  760 

Groves,  William  H.,  478 

Gulick,  C.  D.,  205 

Gulick,  C.  W.,  465 

Gulick,  Joseph  P.,  420 

Gulick,   J.   G.,   420 

Gunder,  J.  N.,  473 

Hadden,  J.  M.,  208 

Haddock,  F.  D.,  385 

Halberstadt,  Eli,  430,  431 

Hale,  Philo,  514,  515 

Hall,  A.  T.,  410 

Hall,  E.  B.,  208 

Hall,  Hattie,  385 

Hall,  James,  316 

Hall,  Justin  S.,  432 

Hall,  Levi  M.,  860 

Hall,  Lyman,  205 

Hall,  R.  M.,  479 

Hall,  Zebulon,  356 

Halliwell,  W.  H.,  395 

Hamilton,  Charles  F.,  582 

Hamilton,  John,  496 

Hanes,  Ida  B.,  437 

Hanson,  John  J.,  671 

Harkness,  Elisha,  164,  187,  430 

Harlan,  James,  429 

Harlan,  Justin,  174,  176,  184 

Hanmore,  J.  J.,  165 


INDEX 


xv 


Harmon,  J.  C.,  205 

Harper,  James  W.,  875 

Harris,  Benjamin  F.,  164,  350,  412,  413, 

419,  490,  539 

Harris,  Benjamin  Franklin,  544 
Harris,  C.  C.,  478 
Harris,  Dell  E.,  769 
Harris,  Henry   H.,   391,   405,   413,   416, 

543 

Harris,  J.  B.,  373 
Harris,  Mrs.  B.  F.,  405,  408 
Harris,  Mrs  H.  H.,  382,  407,  408 
Harris,  Mrs.  J.  B.,  407 
Harris,  Newton  M.,  409,  413,  545 
Harris,  Eobert,  447 
Harris,  S.  C.,  439 
Harry,  M.  M.,  816 
Hartford,  William,  738 
Hartman,  G.  W.,  203 
Hartmann,  J.  M.,  397 
Hartmen,  George  A.,  504 
Hartsock,  G.  W.,  531 
Harwood,  Abel,  388,  519 
Harwood,  George  W.,  410,  736 
Harwood  Township,  519 
Hass,  George  E.,  479 
Hatch,  Mrs.  C.  B.,  407 
Havana,  Rantoul   &   Eastern   Bailroad, 

347 

Hawes,  C.  C.,  207 
Hawk,  Otis  G.,  809 
Hayes,  E.  C.,  403 
Hays,  Asa  F.,  351 
Hays,  J.  W.,  433,  437 
Hays,  William,  124,  351,  893 
Hazel,  M.  M.,  208 
Hazen,  E.  B.,  515 
Healey,  James  M.,  420 
Heater  Eoad,  129 
Heator,  Jacob,  353 
Heath,  N.  P.,  396 
Hefflefinger,  A.  K.,  410 
Heinz,  Julius,  829 
Helfenstein,  E.  C.,  447 
Hendricks,  John,  119,  499 
Henderson,  Oscar  J.,  1040 
Hensley,  A.  P.,  417 
Herbert,  George  W.,  772 
Herrick,  Harry,  709 
Herrick,  Jame's  T.,  459,  463 
Hess,  Fred,    164,    637 
Hess,  Isaac  E.,  562 
Hess,  Isaiah  H.,  420 
Hess,  T.  M.,  203,  204 
Hess,  Mrs.  W.  S.,  475 
Hessel,  John  F.,  748 
Hewes,  M.  A.,  445 
Hickman,  H.  S.,  208 
Hickory  Grove,  4 
Hicks,  J.  W.,  495 
Hicks,  Lewis  D.,  459 
High  School,  Homer  (view),  471 
High  School,  Eantoul  (view),  466 


Hill,  George  W.,  871 

Hill,  John  W.,  164 

Hines,  Joseph  L.,  668 

Hines,  Lizzie  B.,  668 

Hinton,  William  A.,  822 

Hixenbaugh,  Isaac,  914 

Hixenbaugh,  Mary  M.,  914 

Hixenbaugh,  Priscilla  E.,  914 

Hobbs,  R.  G.,  445 

Hodges,  George  J.,  358 

Hoffman,  J.  A.,  205 

Hoit,  C.  B.,  493 

Holbrook,  Alexander,  126 

Holbrook,  Darius  B.,  334 

Holl,  Fred  J.,  1038 

Holliday,  Richard  P.,  96 

Holliday,  Eichard  T.,  99 

Hollingsworth,  Pearl  M.,  480,  929 

Hollister,  Horace  A.,  304 

Holmes,  C.  B.,  427,  431 

Holmes,  James,  126,  218,  440,  443 

Holmes,  John  A.,  395 

Holtapp,  George,  944 

Holtapp,  Joseph,  944 

Holy  Cross  Parish  (Catholic),  Cham- 
paign, 400 

Home  Economics  at  the  University,  323 

Homer  (see  also  New  Homer  and  Old 
Homer),  206,  473 

Homer  Enterprise,  475 

Homer  Journal,  474 

Homer  Park,  474 

Homer's  Main  Street  (view),  474 

Homes,  James,  473 

Honn,  William  M.,  389 

Hook,  S.  H.,  437 

Hopkins,  Cyril  G.,  312 

Hopkins,  D.  O.,  401 

Hopkins  Expedition  of  1812,  352 

Hopkins,  Thomas  E.,  681 

Hornbaker,  W.  O.,  447 

Hornbeck,  M.  D.,  445 

Horticultural  societies,  26 

Horticulture,  21 

Hossack,  James  A.,  32,  34 

Hoster,  George  P.,  402 

Hotel  Where  Lincoln  Stopped  in  TTr- 
bana  (view),  153 

Houck,  E.  B.,  487 

Houston,  A.  J.,  410 

Houston,  Samuel,  356 

Howard,  Hartwell  C.,  199,  203,  205, 
370,  417 

Howard,  Samuel  A.,  509 

Howard  School,  Champaign,  382 

Howell,  A.  O.,  451 

Howell,  Fred  W.,  1014 

Hoy,  Fred,  962 

Hoy,  Martha  J.,  991 

Hoy,  Eufus  B.,  991 

Hoyt,  Julia  E.,  1063 

Hoyt,  Mary  E.,  1062 

Hoyt,  Norman  C.,  1062 


XVI 


INDEX 


Hubbard,  George  W.,  431 

Huekins,  Alvin  E.,  412,  455,  568 

Hudson,  John  P.,  1017 

Huff,  George  A.,  304,  409 

Huff,  S.  E.,  454 

Huffman,  Jacob,  520 

Huffman,  Michael,  519,  520 

Hughes,  S.  J.,  412 

Hummel,  Henry,  862 

Hungerford,  B.,  445 

Hunt,  Charles  A.,  201,  360,  425,  431 

Hunter,  E.  V.,  504 

Hurst,  George  J.,  949 

Huss,  Jefferson,  163 

Hyde,  Albert,  849 

Ice-sheet  invasions,  8 

Illinois  Audubon  Society,  17 

Illinois  Black  Code,  73 

Illinois  Central  Railroad  Companv,  330- 
347,  518,  520,  522 

Illinois  Confederacy,  86 

Illinois  Counties  and  Indian  Tribes  in 
1812  (map),  88 

Illinois  District,  51;  first  land  grant  in, 
52 

Illinois  Indians,  48 

Illinois  Industrial  University,  245,  249, 
250 

Illinois  Medical  Practice  Act,  211 

Illinois  Territory,  69 

Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  Cham- 
paign, 414,  774 

Illinois  under  the  Jesuits,  54 

Illustrations,  Old  Sugar  Camp,  Sadorus 
Grove,  3;  Modern  Sanitary  Dairy 
Barn,  15;  Farmers'  Friends  (Insect 
Destroyers),  18;  Home  Grown  Corn, 
24;  Cleanly  Life  of  Modern  Swine, 
27;  Canning  Club  in  Action,  30; 
Modern  Dump  Crib  and  Feed  Mill, 
31;  Threshing  Scene,  33;  Steam 
Tractor  in  Orchard,  33;  The  United 
States  in  1798,  68;  Illinois  Counties 
and  Indian  Tribes  in  1812,  88;  Site 
of  the  Pottawattamie  Village,  91; 
Pioneer  Couple  in  the  Old  Home, 
97;  A  Pioneer  Family,  100;  A 
Household  Treasure,  108;  Old  Cabin, 
Within  and  Without,  115;  Old 
Time  Sawmill,  125;  Early  Stage 
Coach,  136;  First  County  Jail 
(1838-39),  146;  Hotel  Where  Lincoln 
Stopped  in  Urbana,  153;  Under  Big 
Elm  Where  Lincoln  Made  Famous 
Speech,  153;  Courthouse,  Jail  and 
Sheriff's  Residence  (1901),  160;  Old 
Kelly  Tavern,  St.  Joseph,  176;  Dr. 
Joseph  T.  Miller,  198;  First  School- 
house  Built  near  Urbana  (1832),  217; 
Presidents  of  the  University  of  Illi- 
nois, 238;  University  Hall,  248; 
Woman's  Building,  Present,  255; 


Campus  and  South  Farm  Today,  266; 
Library  of  the  University,  277; 
Present  Engineering  Group  of  Build- 
ings, 295;  The  University  Auditorium, 
300;  Part  of  the  Main  Campus  Today, 
321;  The  Armory  and  Aviation  Corps, 
362;  Pioneer  Residents  of  Cham- 
paign, 365;  Scene  in  the  Dunlap  Or- 
chards, Savoy,  367;  Neil  and  Green 
Streets,  City  Hall,  372;  Present  High 
School,  Champaign,  374;  First  School 
in  Champaign,  378;  Little  Brick 
School,  379;  First  High  School  (West 
Side),  381;  First  East  Side  High 
School,  381;  Champaign  High  School 
(1893),  384;  Champaign  High  School 
(1913),  384;  The  Burnham  Athae- 
neum,  386;  The  Postoffice,  386; 
Champaign  and  Urbana  Water 
Works,  390;  General  View  in  White 
Park,  392;  Johnson  Fountain,  392; 
West  Church  Street,  Champaign,  401; 
Julia  F.  Burnham  Hospital,  404; 
Country  Club  House  and  Grounds, 
410;  The  Old  Angle  Block  (1858), 
413;  First  Schoolhouse  in  West  Ur- 
bana (1854),  424;  The  Perkins 
Schoolhouse,  424;  West  Main  Street, 
Urbana,  427;  Crystal  Lake  Park, 
Urbaua,  432;  New  Urbana  High 
School,  434;  Cunningham  Children's 
Home,  449;  First  Brick  House  in 
Urbana  (1841),  453;  Present  Post- 
office,  453;  Modern  Concrete  Fire- 
proof Silos,  458;  Rantoul  Business 
Street,  464;  High  School,  Rantoul, 
466;  High  School,  Homer,  471; 
Homer's  Main  Street,  474;  Third 
Street,  Fisher,  479;  Public  School, 
Fisher,  480;  St.  Joseph's  Main  Street, 
485;  Public  School,  St.  Joseph,  487; 
Burning  of  the  High  School,  Maho- 
met, 492;  Busy  Section  of  Tolono, 
497;  Tolono  High  School,  498;  Town 
Hall,  Sidney,  500;  Sidney's  Main 
Street,  502;  Samples  of  Champaign 
County  Farming,  506;  First  Henry 
Sadorus  Home  (1824),  511;  Old-Time 
Rail  Fence,  519;  Typical  Wheat  Field, 
522. 

Indian  camps  in  Champaign  County,  89 

Indian  tales,  92,  93,  94,  354 

Indiana,  Bloomington  &  Western  Rail- 
road, 516 

Indiana  Territory,  69 

Indians,    86-95,    121 

Industrial  League  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, 245 

Ingersoll,  Joseph,  359 

Inman,  George  L.,  670 

Inman,  Nora,  671 

Insect  Destroyers   (view),  18 

Internal  Improvements,  78,  79,  334 


XVll 


Ireland,  Edward  C.;  420 
Irle,  George  G.,  855 
Iroquois,  48,  86 
[rwin,  Lee  M.,  357 
Irwin,  Park  T.,  990 
Isom,  John  F.,  203 
Ives,  A.  B.,  462 
Ivesdale,  207,  348.  511 
Ivesdale  News,  5li 

Jackson,  Cyrus  E:,  818 

Jails,  163,  177 

James,  Edmund  J.,  303   (portrait))  280 

James  Load  Fund,  Margaret  Lange,  320 

Janes,  L.,  423 

Jaques,  Francis  G:,  437,  684 

Jaques,   Minnie,   454,   684 

Jaquith,  D.,  152,  430 

Jaquith,  Jessie  W.,  226,  430,  431 

Jarvis,  Daniel,  430 

Jefferson,  Susail,  377 

Jenkins,  A.  M.,  333 

Jenkinson,  Elizabeth  C.,  616 

Jennings,  David,  203 

Jerauld,  S.  D.,  209 

Je'fauld)  T;  D;,  903 

Jesse,  500 

Johnson,  Abfamj  217 

Johnson,  A:  P.,  433,  537 

Johnson,  Benjamin  F:,  389,  393 

Johnson,  Charles  B.,  203,  204,  205,  383, 

410,  548 

Johnson  Fountain   (vie*),  392 
Johnson,  Grant,  495 
Johnson,  James,  353 
Johnson,  John  D.,  164 
Johnson,  Joseph  C.,  825 
Johnson,  Joseph  E.,  1013 
Johnson,  Obadiah,  221 
Johnson,  Walter  H.,  405 
Johnson,  W.  E.,  445 
Johnston,  Virgil  W.,  414,  773 
Joliet,  37,  39,  40,  41 
Jones,  Anna  M.,  791 
Jones,  James  S.,  191,  387 
Jones,  Lewis,  159 
Jones,  Wilson  P.,  32,  34 
Judges,  173-188 
Julia    F.    Burnham    Endowment    Fund, 

388 

Judy,  Jacob,  96,  99,  483 
Jurgensmeyer,  Louis  V.,  1047 
Justice,  W.  H.,  464 
Jutton,  Joseph,  410 

Kariher,  Harry  C.,  695 

Kaskaskias,  46,  86 

Kaskaskia  taken  by  Americans,  60 

Kaufman,  J.  M.,  403,  412 

Keal,   William,   748 

Keeble,  Emeline,  222 

Keefe,  Michael  H.,  509 

Keller,  Charles  E.,  779 


Keller,  Henry  K.,  946 

Kelley,  Barney,  366 

Kelley,  Joseph,  485 

Kelley,  Joseph  t.,  5,  484 

Kelley,  Moses  E.,  360 

Kelley 's  Ford,  5 

Kelley 's  Tavern,  St.  Joseph,  486 

Kellogg,  Nellie  C.,  389 

Kemeys,  Edward,  39l 

Kennard,  George  W;,  164,  355 

Kenney,  A.  M.,  508 

Kentucky  Settlement,  6 

Kerr,  A.  M.,  165 

Kerr,  Joseph,  620 

Kerr,  Samuel,  120 

Ketterman,  Salem  Li,  794 

Keusink,   William,   633 

Keusink,  William  B.,  554 

Kickapoos,  87,  95,  96 

Kilbury,  Mortimer,  780 

Kiler,  C.  A.,  412 

Kimball,  Mrs.  E.  A.,  407 

Kincaid,  Mary  A.,  570 

Kincaid,  Samuel  W.,  201,  203,  206,  571 

King,   William   B.,   477 

Kihle-y,  David,  303,  306,  316 

Kir  by,  Elias,  120 

Kirby,  Grover  C.,  943 

Kirby,  J.  C.,  5l7 

Kirby,  William,  35l 

Kirk,  Hugh  A.,  650 

Kirk,  Siizan,  667 

Kirkpatrick,  A.  J.,  847 

Kirkpatfick,  Fred,  431 

Klegg,  J.  B.,  517 

Knapp,  Everett  G.,  356 

Knapp,  George,  474 

Knapp,  israeL  175 

KocH,  J.  A.  It.,  587 

Kratz,  Alonzo  P.,  420 

Kratz,  Edwin  A.,  164,  387,  388,  389,  410, 

'    416,  420 

Kratz,  Ethel  G,  389 

Kratz,  W.  H.,  388 

Krenzien,  R.,  508 

Kroner,  Adam,  852 

Kruse,  John  C.,  744 

Kuble,  Addie,  223 

Kuhn,  Isaac,  419 

Kyle,  T.  B.,  165 

Lamon,  Ward  H.,  164 

Lancaster,  129 

Langley,  James  W.,  188,  354,  355,  356, 

359,  383,  410 
Lanning,  W.  H.,  385 
Lapham,  M.  E.,  382 
Lamed,  Calesta  E.,  239,  373 
LaSalle,  41,  44,  45,  46,  47,  49 
Last  French  stronghold  falls,  59 
Lathrop,  J.  S.,  387,  388 
Laughlin,  John,  205 
Lawhead,  Harriet,  406 


XV111 


INDEX 


Lawrence,  G.  D.,  447 

Lawson,  Mrs.  W.,  475 

Lawyers,  177,  188-194 

Leal,  Thomas  B.,  227,  423 

Leas,  Ervilla,  866 

Leas,  George  N.,  999 

Leas,  Isaac  T.,  866 

Leas,  Margaret,  999 

Leas,  William  C.,  999 

Leathers,  Thomas  H.,  654 

LeCrone,  Anna,  389 

Lee,  Mary  C.,  409 

Lee,  Patrick  O.,  96,  99 

Leigh,  Francis  M.,  964 

Leigh,  Marion  E.,  931 

Lester,  David  H.,  880 

Lester,  Jonas,  491 

Lester,  John  B.,  359 

Leverett,  520 

Lewis,  Andrew,  439 

Lewis,  Thomas  A.,  164 

Lewis,  Wilson,  164 

Lewis,  Wolf,  752 

Library  and  agricultural  buildings  com- 
pleted, 276 

Library  of  the  University  715,  (view) 
277 

Library  School,  285 

Liestman,  Charles  C.,  802 

Light,  John,  124,  136 

Lilly,  E.  H.,  394 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  151,  154,  156,  161, 
162,  176,  179 

Lincoln-Douglas  campaign,  154-158 

Lindsey,  C.  L.,  493 

Lindsey,  Joseph,  491 

Linn  Grove,  3 

Little  Brick  School  (view),  379 

"Little  Brick"  Sehoolhouse,  369,  378 

Little,  Chester  W.,  613 

Little,  Egbert  P.,  679 

Little,  J.  G.,  445 

Little,  Roger  F.,  701 

Little,  Samuel  H.,  645 

Little,  Thomas  A.,  634 

Live  stock,  14 

Livingston,  Samuel,  1042 

Llewellyn,  Joseph  C.,  318 

Lloyd,  F.  H.,  389 

Lloyde,  C.  L.,  455 

Lloyde,  David  H.,  455,  977 

Lockney,  J.  F.,  399 

Logan,  "Robert,  366 

Long,  J.  C.,  445 

Longden,  Gertrude,  404 

Longview,  170,  207,  348,  508 

Longview  Bank,  509 

Lorenz,  Ernest,  164 

Lost  Grove,  4 

Lott,  Sarah,  495 

Lotus,  347,  348 

Love,  Howard,  976 

Love,  J.  M.,  32 


Love,  Samuel  W.,  431,  439 

Lowery,  Joseph  E.,  939 

Lowman,  Fred  L.,  479,  842 

Lowry,    Charles    E.,    920 

Lowry,  Michael,  919 

Lucas,  John,  518 

Ludlow  (Pera  Station),  207,  347 

Ludlow,  township  and  village,  518 

Ludlow,  James  D.,  518,  520 

Lyman,  Thomas  M.,  549 

Lyman,  William  B.,  960 

Lynch,  Bert  E.,  987 

Lynn,  E.  J.,  394 

Lyon,  James  H.,  196,  210,  500 

Lyon,  Jane,  221 

Lyons,  Alonzo,  430,  497 

Lyons,  Mrs.  A.  L.,  475 

Maddock,  David,  899 

Maddock,  Jane  H.,  899 

Madigan,  Patrick  T.,  994 

Magee,  Thomas,  366 

Maguire,  W.  C.,  431 

Mahaffie,  Alexander,  707 

Mahan,  H.  W.,  383 

Mahomet    (see   also   Middletown),   207. 

490 

Mahomet  township  and  village,  489-495 
Mahomet  Baptist  Church,  440,  493 
Mahomet  High  School,  492 
Mahomet  Sucker  State,  493 
Mahurin,  Rev.  Mr.,  353 
Mandeville,  J.  D.,  205 
Manford,  E.,  447 
Manning,  John,  147 
Manning,  Van  H.,  316 
Mantle,  Solomon,  1024 
Mapes,  Samuel,  126,  484 
Margaret  Lange  James  Loan  Fund,  320 
Marquette,  37,  39,  40,  41 
Marquette  School,  Champaign,  379 
Marriage,  first,  128 
Marshall,  208 
Marten,  John,  205 
Martens,  E.,  508 
Martin,  Gilbert,  459 
Martin,  Lewis  W.,  826 
Martin,  U.  G.,  431 
Mason,  J.  S.,  205,  645 
Masonic  Temple,  Champaign,  419 
Mathews,  Milton  W.,  139,  164,  193 
Mattis,  Mrs.  R.  R.,  407 
Mattis,  Ross  R.,  409,  413 
Mattison,  George  M.,  349 
Maxwell,  C.  L.,  414 
Maxwell,  Jonathan,  120,  489,  491 
Maxwell,  Mrs.  W.  S.,  382,  406,  414 
Maxwell,  W.  W.,  389 
Mayview,  349,  486 
McAllister,  E.  N.,  388,  420 
McCabe,  John  F.,  673 
McCabe,  Mary  A.,  674 
McCann,  E.  T.,  373 


INDEX 


xix 


McCaskin,  George  W.,  1008 

MeCaskin,  Harry  M.,  1008 

McCaskin,  J.  C.,  1007 

McCaskin,    Margaret,    1008 

McClugen,  Samuel,  516 

McConn,  Charles  M.,  304 

McConney,  J.  M.,  437 

McCormick,  Cyrus  H.,  299 

McCoy,  A.  8.,  445 

McCullough,  James  C.,  981 

McCullough,  James  8.,  39,  164 

McCullough,  J.  W.,  464,  737 

McDaniel,  B.  P.,  445 

McDonald,  Neil,  497 

McElfresh,  G.  E.,  396 

McElroy,  W.  M.,  444 

McElroy,  W.  N.,  396 

McElvain,  Frank  C.,  439 

McElwee,  A.  C.,  903 

McElwee,  Columbus  C.,  952 

McEwen,  John  A.,  473 

McFarland,  Herman,  361 

McGath,  Benjamin  F.,  785 

McGee,  8.,  387 

McGoorty,  J.  P.,  319 

McGurty,  Joseph  E.,  641 

McHarry,  Daniel  E.,  718 

Mclntyre,  Daniel  P.,  164,  409,  419,  508 

Mclntyre,  R.,  445 

McJilton,  John  E.,  795 

McKeene,  Mrs.  H.  A.,  31 

McKinley,  George,  394,  446 

McKinley,  James  B.,  191,  373,  405 

McKinley,  Mrs.  J.  B.,  407 

McKinley  Memorial  Church,  Urbana,  446 

McKinley,  William  B.,  317,  349,  350,  382, 

391,  413,  446,  474 
McKinney,  D.  E.,  205 
McKinney,  T.  J.,  205 
McKinsey,  Benjamin  H.,  778 
McLaurie,  Thomas  A.,  164 
McLean,  L.  A.,  134,  439 
McMillen,  Fremont,  689 
McMillen,  Laura,  690 
McMinn,  P.  K.,  387 
McPherren,  Delia,  517 
McPherren,  James  P.,  1007 
McPherson,  William,   494 
McPheters,  P.  L.,  414 
McQuaid,   Thomas,   610 
McBoberts,  Samuel,  175 
McWilliams,  Amzi,  164 
Meade,  John,  226,  489,  491 
Means,  Frank  B.,  949 
Mearns,  Eobert  W.,  305 
Medical  profession   (see  physicians) 
Meharry,    Edwin    T.,    619 
Meharry,  Jesse,  618 
Mercer,  Solomon,  571 
Messenger,  Benjamin  F.,  96,  99 
Messenger,  James,  96,  100 
Messman,  Fred  A.,  1020 
Methodist  Church,  Homer,  473 


Methodist  Church  of  Middletown,  494 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Fisher,  481 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Sidney,  503 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Urbana,  147 

Meuser,  A.  F.,  1060 

Mexican  War,  354 

Miamis,  87,  94 

Miasma,  196 

Mickelberry,  E.  E.,  416 

Middlecoff,  John  P.,  519 

Middlecoff,  Samuel,  519 

Middle  Fork,  3 

Middletown,  490 

Military   (see  State  University),  361 

Military  Department,  University  of  Illi- 
nois, 284 

Military  record,  351-363 

Mill  seats,  145 

Miller,  Andrew  J.,  165 

Miller,  Charles,  410 

Miller,  Charles  M.,  410 

Miller,  Frank,  942 

Miller,  Isaac  J.,  496 

Miller,  James 'C.,  414 

Miller,  John  K.,  359 

Miller,  Joseph,  199,  203,  205,  360,  431, 
(portrait)  198 

Miller,  J.,  445 

Miller,  J.  W.,  445 

Miller,  Eobert  T.,  164 

Mills,  124,  199,  203,  206 

Mills,  John,   370 

Miner,  H.,   165 

Ministers,  126,  128,  439 

Mink  Grove,  4 

Minnear,  P.  N.,  396 

Mittendorf,  Louis,  664 

Modern  Concrete  Fireproof  Silos  (view), 
458 

Modern  Dump  Crib  and  Feed  Mill  (view), 
31 

Modern  Sanitary  Dairy  Barn   (view),  15 

Moehl,  Ernest,  522,  694 

Mohr,  Phillip,  882 

Molloy,   Edward  J.,  677 

Molloy,  Patrick,  677 

Monier,  Sara,  406 

Mooney,   Daniel,   651 

Moor,  George  C.,  401 

Moore,  Enoch,  96 

Moore,  Garrett,  140,  165,  516 

Moore,  Levi,  120 

Moore,  Martin  V.,  1017 

Moore,  M.,  385 

Moore,  Stephen  N.,  448 

Moore,  W.  G.,  445 

Moore,  W.  H.  H.,  445 

Moorehead,  Frederick  B.,  303,  306 

Moraine,  Moses,  366 

Moraines,  7 

More,  Edward  V.,  594 

Morehouse,  Chester  A.,  536 

Morehouse,  Heber  J.,  535 


XX 


INDEX 


Morey,  Lloyd,  304 
Morgan,  Borgan  F.,  475 
Morgan,  J.   B.,  475 
Morgan,  T.  M.,  439 
Morrill  Act,  246 
Morrill  College  Aid  Act,  267 
Morris,  B.    C.,    208 
Morris,  Harriet  M.,  580 
Morris,   H.   M.,   580 
Morrissey,    Daniel,    768 
Morrison,  Alonzo  O.,    1067 
Morrison,  J.  L.  D.,  341 
Morrison,  Mrs.  H.  P.,  475 
Morrison,  R.   G.,    755 
Morrison,  William,  837 
Morrow,   F.  A.,  499 
Morse,  J.  D.,  521 
Morse  State  Bank,  Gifford,  521 
Morton,  S.  M.,  437 
Mosier,  C.  P.,  207 
Mosier,  Philip  C.,  197 
Moudy,  Jacob,  611 
Moulton,  S.  W.,  292 
Mudge,  Mrs.  E.  T.,  475   ' 
Mudge,  W.  W.,  473 
Mueller,  H.  F.,  397 
Mulligan,  Peter  H.,  1004 
Mulligan,  Sarah,  223 
Mulliken,  A.   D.,  420 
Mulliken,  John  W.,  731 
Mullikin,  Charles  J.,  373,  727 
Mullikin,  Joseph  M.,  963 
Mumm,  John  W.,  982 
Munhall,  William,  164,  445 
Munhall,  William    H.,   445 
Murphy,  C.   W.,   412,  493 
Murphy,  John,  730 
Myers,  C.  O.,  481 
Myers,  James,  165 
Myers,  M.  M.,  410 
Myers,  Peter,  164 
Myers,  Robert,  911 
Myers,  William,  410 

Nash,  Howard,  725 
National  banking  system,  83 
Naughton,  Mrs.   T.   A.,   407 
Naylor,  David,  480 

Neil  and  Green  Streets,  City  Hall,  Cham- 
paign (view),  372 
Nelson,  C.  O.  753 
Nelson,  Peter  H.,  805 
Newcom,  Ethan,  5,  523 
Newcom's  Ford,  5,  523 
Newcomb,  W.    K.,   206 
Newell,  J.  D.,  440,  494 
New  Homer,  472 
New  St.  Joseph,   486 
New  TJrbana  High  School  (view),  434 
Noble,  J.  H.,  396,  487 
Nodine,  Richard  H.,  354,  356 
Norman,  IT.  G.,  650 
Northern  Cross  Railroad,  347,  514 


Norton,  Albert,  476 
Nox,  William,  163,  164 
Nox,  William,  Jr.,   144 
Nox's  Point,  5,  500 
Nurseries,  23,  25 
Nye,  J.  E.,  577 

Oathout,  C.  H.,  34 

Oats,  13 

O  'Brien,  Joseph,  165,  420 

Ocheltree,  J.  M.,  476 

Odebrecht,   Carl,   954 

Odell,  John,  481 

Oehmke,  Charles  F.,  687 

Ogden,  207,  349,  516 

Ogden  Courier,  517 

Ogden  Township,  516 

Ohio  colony  locates  at  Rantoul,  439 

Okaw  settlement,  3 

O'Kelleher,  Andrew,  319 

Old  Angle  Block   (1858)    (view),  413 

Old  Cabin,  Within  and  Without  (views), 

115 

Old  courthouse  as  a  schoolhouse,  219 
Oldham,  H.  D.,  29 
Oldham,  James  E.,   164 
Old  Homer,  471,  472 
Old  Kelly  Tavern,    St.    Joseph     (view), 

176 

Old  St.  Joseph,  482 
Old  Settlers'  Society,  134 
Old  Sugar  Camp,  Sadorus  Grove  (view),  3 
Old-Time  Rail  Fence  (view),  519 
Oliver,  J.  C.,   385 
Oliver,  Lewis  D.,  538 
Oliver,  L.,  445 
Olson,  Olof  682 
O  'Neal,  W.  B.,  32 
O'Neil,  Hugh,  473 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Regiment, 

355,  359 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Regiment, 

359 

Ordinance  of  1787,  67 
Orr,  J.  T.,  481, 
Osborn,  Frank,  517 
Osborn,  Henry,  489 
Osborn,  James,  136,  491 
Osborne,  John  W.,  465 
Our  Constitution,  439 
Owens,  F.  M.,  164 

Page,  John  M.,  466 
Page,  Samuel  J.,  203 
Paine,  Benjamin  C.,  1003 
Paisley,  Mrs.  T.  J.,  406 
Pancake,  Jesse  W.,  5 
Pancake's  Point,   5 
Paris,   William,  516 
Park,  Joseph,  359 
Park,  William,  430 
Parker,  E.  W.,  514 
Parker,  Frank  A.,  723 


INDEX 


xxi 


Parker,  George,  514 

Parks,  Pleasant  M.,  164 

Parmeter,   Isaac,  492 

Parr,  Sophie,  620 

Parrett,  Fred  R.,  873 

Parsons,  Mrs.  F.  A.,  378 

Parsons,  J.  W.,  445 

Part  of  the  Main  Campus  Today  (view), 

321 

Pasley,  Sylvester,  494 
Patterson,  J.  J.,  447 
Patterson,  Otho,  844 
Patton,  David,  600 
Patton,  Harry,  601 
Patton,  Lafayette,  601 
Patton,  Jane,  600 
Paulus,  Abraham,  829 
Peabody,  Selim  H.,  261 
Peabody,  William,  478 
Pearce,  William    H.,    164 
Pearman,  J.  T.,  203,  204,  206,  382 
Pearson,  C.  M.,  493 
Pearson,  Joseph  R.,  726 
Penfield,  208,  347,  521 
Penfield,  Guy  D.,  464 
Penfield,  John,  459,  464 
Penney,  J.  H.,  508 
Pennington,  Sarah,  222 
Pennsylvania  House,  177 
Penny,  Henry  S.,  165 
Peorias,  87 

Pepper,  H.  J.,  349,  350 
Pera,  518 

Perkins  Schoolhouse  (view),  424 
Perry,  John   B.,   463 
Pesotum  chief,  513 
Pesotum  Township,  512 
Pesotum  village,  170,  207,  347,  512 
Peters,  Ann  E.,  887 
Peters,  John  M.,  894 
Peters,  Jonathan  M.,   164 
Peters,  J.  L.,  886 
Peters,  William,   144,   226,   440 
Peters,  William  I.,  127,  473,  483 
Peterson,  E.  V.,  388 
Peterson,  Peter,  620 
Phelps,  Vergil  V.,  241,  301,  303 
Phenicie,  William   M.,   891 
Philbrick,  Solon,  183 
Phillips,  William,  126,  366 
Philo,  208,   348,   515 
Philo  Exchange  Bank,  515 
Philo  Township,  514 
Phinney,  J.  B.,  366 
Physical  features,  1 
Physicians,   123,   125,   194,   202 
Piasa  bird,  39 
Pickard,  J.   C.,   407 
Pierce,  W.  G.,  395 
Piersel,  A.  C.,  445 
Pillars,  Charles  A.,  595 
Pinkerton,  C.   B.   E.,   465 
Pinkerton,  F.  E.,  465 


Pinkston,  Joel  W.,  934 

Pioneer  Couple  in  the  Old  Home  (view), 
97 

Pioneer  Family  (view),  100 

Pioneer  Residents  of  Champaign  (view), 
365 

Pioneer  settlements  of  Illinois,  50 

Pioneer  settlers  in  Champaign  neighbor- 
hood, 366 

Pioneer  settlers  of  Urbana,  428 

Pitner,  W.,  445 

Pitner,  W.  F.,  445 

Pittman,  Joseph  C.  W.,  573 

Pittman,  L.   C.,   410 

Pixley,  Howard,  378 

Place,  Charles  C.,  962 

Platt,  Joseph,  394 

Platt,  P.  T.,  410 

Plottner,  Mrs.  W.  A.,  389 

Plym,  Francis  J.,  318 

Polk,  John   L.,   Jr.,   402 

Pollard,  J.   S.,   391 

Poritiac  buried  at  St.  Louis,  60 

Porter,  Daniel  T.,  144,  163,  185,  490 

Porter,  George  M.,  999 

Porter,  J.  W.,  437 

Porter,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  407 

Post,  C.  F.,  463 

Postoffice,  Champaign   (view),  386 

Pottawattamies,   87,  89 

Pottawattamie  Village,  A  Bit  of  the  Site 
of  (view),  91 

Powell,  Burt  E.,  304 

Powell,  John,  136 

Prairie  du  Rocher,.  52 

Prairie  lands,  2 

Prairies,  9,  10,  11 

Prather,  Lewis,  29,  987 

Prather,  Robert,  485 

Prather  'a  Ford,  5,  485 

Presbyterian  Church,  Homer,   473 

Presbyterian  Church,  Sidney,  504 

Present  Engineering  Group  of  Buildings 
(view),  295 

Presidents  of  the  University  of  Illinois 
(portraits),  238 

Prettyman,  J.  B.,  391,  409 

Prettyman,  W.  L.,  391 

Price,  Arthur  C.,  410 

Price,  F.  M.,   165 

Price,  Walter  E.,  410 

Primer,  George  H.,  503 

Probate  Court,  185,  186 

Probate  judges,  184 

Property  valuation   (1916),  168 

Public  School,  Fisher  (view),  480 

Public  School,  St.  Joseph  (view),  487 

Pugh,  C.  W.,  493 

Purcell,  J.  T.,  205 

Purrington,  T.,  497 

Quinlan,  William   J.,   1070 


XX11 


INDEX 


Radebaugh,  S.  Barclay,  192 

Railroad  lands,  461;  draw  settlers,  345 

Railroads,  329-350 

Ramey,  H.  B.,  373 

Rankin,  Hiram,  484,  516 

Rankin,  James  F.,  503,  504,  856 

Rankin,  8.  8.,  486 

Rantoul,  170,  208,  347 

Rantoul  Business  Street  (view),  464 

Rantoul  fire  of  1901,  466 

Rantoul  Journal,  465 

Rantoul  News,  465 

Rantoul  Press,  465 

Rantoul,  Robert,  341,  457 

Rantoul  Township  and  Village,  457-468 

Ratts,  R.  P.  207 

Rawden,  H.  H,.  401 

Ray,  John  L.,  383 

Ray,  Mrs.  J.  L.,  407,  408 

Rayburn,  Bert,   560 

Rayburn,  J.  O.,  493 

Raymond,  Isaac,  498 

Raymond,  Isaac  8.,  32,  515 

Raymond,  John  E.,  996 

Raymond  Township,  509 

Rea,  John  J.,  635 

Read,  O.  B.,  401 

Reardon,  John  W.,  966 

Rector,  Elias,  428 

Rector,  Nelson,  100 

Rector,  William,  99 

Redhed,  William,  497,  498 

Redmon,  Jacob,  1040 

Reed,  Charles  W.,  922 

Reed,  M.,  387 

Reed,  Nora,  495 

Reed,  S.  J.,  165 

Rees,  William,  205 

Reese,  James  M.,  774 

Reeves,  Matilda,  449 

Remington,  William,  400    . 

Remley,  J.  W.,  603 

Revolutionary  soldiers,  124 

Reynolds,  Chester  G.,  631 

Reynolds,  John  J.,  948 

Rhinehart,  Martin,  108,  218,  353,  354 

Rhinehart,  Matthias,   107,   120 

Rhoades,  Walter,  108,  126 

Rice,  Clarence  A.,  904 

Richards,  Charles  R.,  303,  305,  306,  313 

Richards,  Chester  W.,  431,  454,  717 

Richards,  George  N.,  415,  438 

Richards,  Patrick,    454,    717 

Richards,  Sandford,  373 

Richards,  Thomas,  353,  484 

Richardson,  John  F.,  142 

Ricker,  Nathan  C.,  260 

Ricketts,  Marion  M.,  1022 

Riemke,  John  T.,   1032 

Riker,  F.  E.,  465 

Riley,  G.  W.,  400 

Riley,  Ning  A.,  359 

Riley,  Ozias,   383 


Rising,  Fred,  29 

Ritchie,  Robert  S.,  960 

Rittenhouse,  John  R,,  812 

Roads,  129 

Roberts,  H.,  419 

Roberts,  Jeannette,  389 

Robertson,  John  G.,   126,  144,  440,  493, 

494 

Robeson,  Frank  K.,  412,  652 
Robinson,  Elna  A.,  627 
Robinson,  Eva,  503 
Robinson,  Hugh  J.,  841 
Rodman,  William,  479 
Rogers,  Edward,    164,    674 
Rogers,  E.  B.,  401,  498 
Rogerson,  Andrew,  355 
Rolfe,  C.  W.,  6 
Roloff,  R.  A.,  473 
Roney,  Benjamin  A.,  438 
Root,  George  F.,  292 
Rose,  Frederick,  474,  800 
Ross,  Howard,  630 
Roth,  Thomas  J.,  188,  708 
Roughton,  John,  459,  460,  462 
Roughton,  Reuben,  463,  669 
Rowland,  James,  702 
Rowland,  Thomas,  136 
Royal,  348 
Rural  Home,  21 

Rural  Home  Fruit  Farm,  366,  367 
Rush,  Elmer  A.,  938 
Russell,  Eugene  H.,  673 
Russell,  Frank  G.,  611 
Russell,  H.  M.,  437 
Russell,  James  B.,  389,  410,  700 
Russell,  Mrs.  J.  B.,  389,  407 
Ryan,   Thomas,   397 

Sabin,  C.  J.,  373 

Saddler,  John  G.,  196 

Saddler,  John  S.,  209 

Sadorus,  208,  348,  510 

Sadorus,  George   W.   B.,   359 

Sadorus  Grove,  3,  104,  105 

Sadorus,  Henry,   3,    103,    104,    106,    134, 

218 

Sadorus  homes,  107 
Sadorus  Township,  510-512 
Sadorus,  William,  21 
St.  Clair  County,  67 
St.  John's  Parish  (Catholic),  Champaign, 

399 
St.  Joseph  (see  Old  St.  Joseph),  209,  349, 

487 

St.  Joseph,  Main  Street  (view),  485 
St.  Joseph  Record,  487 
St.   Joseph   Township   and   Village,   482- 

487 
St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church,  Champaign, 

397 
St.    Patrick's    Catholic    Parish,    Urbana, 

448 


INDEX 


xxin 


St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Church,  Cham- 
paign, 397 

Sale,  Clarence  8.,  313 

Sale,  Frederick  B.,  359,  430,  494 

Salem  Baptist  Church,  Champaign,  401 

Salisbury,  143 

Salisbury,  John,  139,  164,  483 

Salisbury,  S.   S.,   205,   209 

Salisbury,  T.  M.,  498 

Salt  Fork,  2 

Salt  Fork  Timber,  119 

Samples  of  Champaign  County  Farming 
(views),  506 

Sampson,  Willard  L.,  475 

Sandwell,  Lawrence,  498 

Sangamon  Country,  75 

Sangamon  Timber,  120 

Sangamon  &  Morgan  Eailroad,  347 

Savage,  John  H.,  454 

Savage,  Manford,  389 

Savoy,  347 

Sawmill,  Old  Timer   (view),  125 

Sayers,  James  O.,  980 

Schantz,  O.  M.,  14 

Schell,   Eva,   449 

Schindler,  Oscar  W.,  968 

Schluter,  Louis  W.,  623 

Schoengerdt,  W.  E.,  205 

School  of  Ceramics,  282 

School  of  Commerce,  281 

School  of  Education,  281 

School  of  Law  and  State  Library  School, 
273 

School  of  Military  Aeronautics  estab- 
lished, 301 

School  of  Railway  Engineering,  283 

Schools,  124-;  territorial,  213;  state  pub- 
lic, 214;  early,  215;  Charles  Fielder 
first  teacher  in  county,  216;  other  pio- 
neer teachers,  216;  pioneer  of  the  town- 
ships, 219;  inadequate  revenues,  225; 
present  county  system,  226;  commis- 
sioners, 226;  present  status  of,  in 
county,  230;  state  examining  board, 
231;  standardisation  of  rural,  234; 
High  School  Tuition  Act,  235;  state 
educational  survey,  236;  germs  of  the 
public  school  system,  241 ;  early  at- 
tempts to  found  state  universities,  242; 
public  in  Champaign,  373-387;  of  TJr- 
bana,  423-426,  433-437 

Schools  of  Pharmacy  and  Medicine,  Chi- 
cago, 272 

Schoon,  Christian,    712 

Schoon,  George,  710 

Schowengerdt,  William  E.,  721 

Schuett,  E.  H.,  396 

Schumacher,  Henry  T.,  756 

Schumacher,  R.  W.,  206 

Schumm,  Julius,  397 

Schwanderman,  Herman,  553 

Scott,  Andrew,  481,  869 

Scott,  Fielding  L.,  130,  187,  491,  494 


Scott,  James  E.,  373,  393 

Scott,  John  A.,  164 

Scott  Park,  393 

Scott,  Thomas  J.,   164 

Scovell,  M.,  387 

Scroggs,  George,  388,  420 

Soroggs,  John  W.,  210,  369,  415,  425 

Seaver,  N.  L.,  462 

Selle,  C.  A.  F.,  396 

Seltzer,  John  D.,  724 

Seltzer,  John  F.,  725 

Semple,  A.,  445 

Seymour,  208,  347,  349,  521 

Seymour,  Arthur  B.,  304 

Shade,  Henry  E.,  1064 

Shattuck,  Samuel  W.,  259 

Shaw,  Aaron,  178 

Shaw,  J.,  445 

Shaw,  Newton,  351 

Shawhan, •  George  R.,  229,  414,  773 

Shawhan,  William  M.,  509 

Sheffer,  George  J.,  410 

Sheldon  Brick  Company,  455 

Sheldon,  C.  C.,  455 

Sheldon,  George,  455 

Sheldon,  J.  C.,  444 

Shelledy,  Stephen  B.,  142 

Shemauger,  90,  92 

Shepherd,  Paris,  226 

Sherfy,  Chalmers  F.,  164 

Sheridan,  Arthur,  596 

Sherman,  Edward  S.,  356 

Sherman,  Mrs.  S.  P.,  404 

Shields,  Robert,  932 

Shoemaker,  E.  W.,  369 

Shortridge,  C.  T.,  508 

Shreve,  William  O.,  486 

Shuck,  John  W.,  164 

Shuck,  J.  W.,  454 

Sickel,  Mrs.  F.,  475 

Sidney  (see  also  Nox's  Point),  208,  347, 

348,  500-504 

Sidney's  Main  Street   (view),  502 
Sidney  Times,  503 
Sidney  Township,  499-500 
Silkey,  Abner,  454 
Silver,  David  A.,  944 
Sim,  Joseph  W.,  188,  431 
Sim,  William,  437,  473 
Simmons,  O.  B.,  206 
Sims,  W.  B.,  165 
Singbnsch,  Arthur  C.,  572 
Six,  Harlan  W.,   970 
Sizer,  A.  D.,  492 
Si7er,  Lucius  N.,  787 
Skinner,  George,   649 
Slavery  issue  (1822-24),  74 
Smedley,  F.  R.,  420 
Smith,  "Arthur  W.,  361 
Smith,  C.  B.,  182,  373 
Smith,  Daniel  F.,  402 
Smith,  Frank,  305 
Smith,  F.  M.,  473 


xxiv 


INDEX 


Smith,  Henry  C.,  497 

Smith,  Jacob  W.,  967 

Smith,  Joe,  105,  107 

Smith,  Lyman,  478 

Smith,  L.  S.,  370 

Smith,  Mrs.  C.  B.,  382 

Smith,  Mrs.  W.  H.,  407 

Smith,  Robert  B.,  370 

Smith,  Thomas  E.,  566 

Smith,  Thomas  J.,  318,   389,   665 

Smith,  William  H.,  782 

Smith,  "William  O.,  658 

Smith,  W.  A.,  504 

Smith,  W.  E.,  370 

Smithers,  James,  463 

Smoot,  Herman  M.,  473,  474,  994 

Smyres,  Lewis  A.,  164 

Snelling,  Moses,  430 

Snyder,  Edward,  260,  319,  383 

Snyder,  John,  57 

Snyder,  Mrs.  Edward,  408 

Social   Science   Club  of   Champaign   and 

Urbana,  408 
Sodom,  5 
Soil,  9 

So.mers,  James  A.,  678 
Somers,  James  W.,   190 
Somers,  John  C.,  414,   603 
Somers,  John  L.,  165 
Somers,  W.  H.,  429 
Somers,  William  D.,  148,  188 
Somers,  Winston,    197,   203,   209 
Souder,  Luther  B.,  764 
South   Campus   and   South   Farm   Today 

(view),  266 

South  Homer  Township,  469 
Southworth,  Albert   L.,    1012 
Spalding,  Bert  E.,  766 
Spalding,  Mrs.  Arthur,  405 
Spalding,  Wallace  P.,  413 
Spanish-American  War,  360 
Spears,  Charles  H.,  729 
Sperry,  H.  T.,  410 
Sperry,  James,  770 
Spoehrle,  Carl  W.,  675 
Spoon  River  flats,  516 
Sprague,  Dallas,  596 
Springsteen,  John,  519 
Spruill,  W.  P.  T.,  395,  445 
Spurgin,  William  G.,   188 
Stage  Coach  (view),  130 
Staley,  349 
Staley,  Calvin  C.,  188 
Stamey,  Elias,  353 
Stanford,  Philip,  143 
Stanford,  Philip  M.,  144 
Stanley,  O.   O.,   205 
Stanner,  J.  Ray,  32 
Starr,  E.,  96,  100 
Starved  Rock,  48 
State  Bank  in  liquidation,  77 
State  Bank  of  Sidney,  503- 
State  entomologist's  office,  313 


State  Geological  and  Water  surveys,  282. 

State  Geological  Survey,  314 

State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History,  313 

State  road,  130 

State  Water  Survey,  314 

Stayton,  David  B.,  484 

Stayton,  John  D.,  1008 

Stayton,  Joseph,  483 

Steam  Tractor  in  Orchard  (view),  33 

Stedman,  W.  H.,  401 

Steel,  W.  M.,  465 

Steele,  Daniel  A.  K.,  303,  306 

Steele,  John  A.,  368,  446 

Stern,  Walter  W.,  414 

Steurer,  Charles,  399 

Stevens,  E.  V.,  447 

Stevens,  Harmon,  196,  206 

Stevens,  Thomas,  477 

Stevenson,  Andrew,  175,  218 

Stevenson,  A.  H.,  164 

Stevenson,  Lew  E.,  864 

Stevick,  D.  W.,  416,  685 

Stewart,  Arthur  R.,  567 

Stewart,  John  R,,  416,  1071 

Stewart,  Mrs.  J.  R.,  407,  408 

Stewart,  William,  420 

Stidham,  Penrose,  164 

Stiegmeyer,  G.,  396 

Stiles,  O.  D.,  493 

Stipes,  John  W.,  455,  916 

Stipes,  Mrs.  John  W.,  406  f 

Stoddard,  William  O.,  415 

Stoech,  Mrs.  H.  H.,  407 

Stone,  E.  A.,  401 

Stonestreet,  Mary  E.,  592 

Stonestreet,  William,   592 

Stoughton,  Jonathan,  249 

Stoughton,  Jonathan   C.,   425 

Stout,  Frank,  889 

Stover,  Martin  O.,  32,  912 

Strahle,  Paul  J.,  618 

Strauss,  John,  478 

Strehlow,  H.,  397 

Strode,  Archie  E.,  643 

Strong,  Ambrose  W.,  1025 

Strong,  Cyrus,  473,  484 

Strong's  Ford,  5,  485 

Stucker,  Thomas  D.  B.,  940 

Students'  government  system,  254 

Sturdyvin,  William  L.,  638 

Sturgeon,  Robert  A.,  798 

Sugar  Grove,  3,  120 

Sullivan,  William,  662 

Sullivant  Estate,  Ayers  Township,  505 

Sullivant,  Michael  L.,  505 

Summers,  Charles  A.,  356 

Summers,  John  W.,  415,  474 

Sussmuth,   W.,   397 

Sutton,  Elsie  B.,  512 

Sutton,  Royal  A.,  431 

Swain,   John,   203 

Swamp   lands,   12 

Swannell,  D.  G.,  412,  420 


INDEX 


XXV 


Swannell,  H.,  382,  388 

Swannell,  Mrs.  Henry,  407 

Swartz,  B.  F.,  432 

Swearingen,  Alpheus  C.,  1035 

Swearingen,  Amanda  M.,  1049 

Swearingen,  Bartley,  483 

Swearingen,  David,  483 

Swearingen,  John,  483 

Swearingen,  John  V.,  165 

Swearingen,  John  W.,  164 

Swearingen,  Van  B.,  486,  1048 

Sweet,  E.  L.,  373 

Sweet,  T.  B.,  387,  388 

Swick,  Jacob,  832 

Swift,  Eben,   361 

Swift,  J.  E.,  496 

Swigart,  Edwin  S.,  373,  404,  409,  529 

Switzer,  Lottie,  385 

Talbot,  A.  N.,  371,  391,  431 

Talbot,  Mrs.  A.  N.,  408 

Talbott,  James  A.,  533 

Taxes   (1916),  168 

Taylor,  C.,  221 

Taylor,  C.  B.,  439 

Taylor,  Mary  A.,  1057 

Taylor,  Mary  L.,  700 

Taylor,  Shelby  D.,  700 

Taylor,  William,   163 

Teachers,   pioneer   American    in    Illinois, 

213;  pioneer  of  the  townships,  219 
Tenbrook,  John  P.,  159,  187,  496 
Terry,  George  W.,  459 
Third  Street,  Fisher   (view),  479 
Thirty  Club,  Champaign,  407 
Thoma,  Theodore  A.,  512 
Thomas,  James  Q.,  129,  839 
Thomas,  John  B.,  185,  187,  226,  420,  472 
Thomas,  Joseph,  473 
Thomas,  Moses,  136,  139,  164,  174,  184, 

226 

Tlnmasboro,  347,  468 
Thomasboro  village,  170 
Thompson,  Ann,  937 
Thompson,  Charles  A.,  203,  360 
Thompson,  Charles  D.,  854 
Thompson,  Fred  E.,  361 
Thompson,  James,  96,  99,  937 
Thompson,  John  F.,  505 
Thompson,  Martin  B.,  164,  203,  356 
Thompson,  William  H.,  797 
Thornbnrn,   John   H.,   404,   454 
Thrasher,  Benjamin,  13,  165 
Thrasher,  John,  165,  221 
Threshing  Scene  (view),  33 
Timber  lands,  2 
Tinkham,  Charles  J.,  357,  492 
Tipton,  348 
Tittle,  Percy  H.,  361 
Tobie,  Willard  N.,  447 
Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western  Bailroad,  347, 

501 
Tolle,  C.  J.  T.,  445 


Tolono,  209,  347,  496-499 

Tolono,  Busy  Section  of  (view),  497 

Tolono  Herald,  498 

Tolono  High  School  (view),  498 

Tomlinson,  William,   624 

Tompkins,  Claudie,  217 

Tompkins,  William,  102,  122,  428 

Toner,  Patrick,  398 

Tonti,  42,  44,  47,  50 

Tornquist,  Andrew,  759 

Tourtellotte,  Edward,  207 

Tow-Head  Grove,  4,  514 

Towl,  E.  K.,  447 

Towle,  Nathan,  164 

Town  Hall,  Sidney   (view),  500 

Townsend,  Mrs.  W.  K.  D.,  407 

Township  organization  adopted,  159 

Townships,  value  of  property  and  taxes 
levied,  168;  population  (1833-1917), 
169;  schools,  220 

Toy,  Solomon  J.,  164,  430 

Traction  system,  330,  348 

Tracy,  James  M.,  165,  356 

Treat,  Samuel  H.,  178 

Trees,  William  H.,  858 

Trevett,  Henry,  373,  383,  391 

Trevett,  John  H.,  411,  413 

Trevett,  John  E.,  412,  413 

Trevett-Mattis  Banking  Company,  412 

Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  (Univer- 
sity) Church,  Urbana,  447 

Trost,  Eli,  498 

Trotter,   John   F.,   836 

Truman,  Jeptha,  219 

Tucker,  S.  C.,  371,  373,  606 

Tuesday  Club,  Homer,  475 

Turner,  George  E.,  361 

Turner,  Jonathan  B.,  226,  242,  243,  247 

Turrell,  G.  A.,  414 

Turrell,  Mrs.  George  A.,  408 

Typical  Wheat  Field  (view),  522 

Tyrell,  Bodger,  431 

Udell,  E.  J.,  465 

tlmbanhowar,  James  H.,  995 

Uncle    Tommy    Butler    (see    Thomas    L. 

Butler) 

Unitarian  Church,  Urbana,  448 
United   Brethren  Church  of  Broadlands, 

508 

United  Brethren  Church,  Fisher,  480 
United    Charities    Association    of   Cham- 
paign and  Urbana,  403 
United  Manufacturing  Company,  349 
United  States  in  1798   (map),  68 
United  States  surveyors,  96,  98,  121 
Universalist  Church,  Urbana,  446 
University  Auditorium   (view),  300 
University  Baptist  Church,  Urbana,  446 
University  Hall  (view),  248 
University  of     Illinois,     239-328;     presi- 
dents   of,    238;    main    building    com- 
pleted,   256;    literary    societies,    259; 


XXVI 


INDEX 


name  legally  adopted,  267;  statistics, 
287-291,  310,  311;  fraternities,  287; 
sororities,  287;  buildings,  289,  326, 
327;  growth  (1867-1917),  290;  annals, 
291-299;  first  meeting  of  the  board 
(1867),  291;  opens,  292;  registrar, 
office  of,  created,  297;  auditorium 
dedicated,  298;  new  administration 
building  occupied,  301;  honors,  316; 
prizes  and  medals,  317;  scholarships 
and  fellowships,  318;  loan  funds,  319; 
extension  work,  320;-  finances,  324; 
a  military  center,  361;  library,  715 

University  Reserve  Officers'  Training 
Corps,  363 

University  Place  Christian  Church, 
Champaign,  403 

University  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, 294,  298 

University  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association,  296,  298 

Urbana,  209,  349;  pioneer  churches  and 
school,  147 ;  incorporated,  150 ;  fire  of 
October  9,  1871,  426;  postoffice  estab- 
lished, 429;  city  incorporated,  429; 
mayors,  431;  public  schools,  433; 
newspapers,  439;  Sunday  schools,  451, 
452 ;  societies,  455. 

Urbana  &  Champaign  Horse  Railway 
Company,  349 

Urbana  and  Champaign  Institute,  425 

Urbana  &  Champaign  Railway,  Gas  & 
Electric  Company,  349,  350 

Urbana  Banking  Company,  454 

Urbana  Clarion,  439 

Urbana  Courier,  439 

Urbana  Courier-Herald,  439 

Urbana  Fortnightly  Club,  455 

Urbana  Free  Library,  437 

Urbana  High  School,  435 

Urbana  House,  177 

Urbana  Male  and  Female  Seminary,  423 

Urbana  Methodist  Episcopal  Mission,  440 

Urbana  Methodist  Mission,  473 

Urbana  Postoffice    (view),  453 

Urbana  Railroad,  425,  426 

Urbana  Township  and  City,  422-456 

Urbana  Union,  438 

Vail,  Albert  R.,  448 

Valentine,  T.  J.,  395 

Valuation  of  university  property,  325 

Van  Brunt,  8.,  410 

Vance,  John  W.,  137 

Van  Doren,  C.  L.,  517 

Vandyke,  S.  A.,  395 

Van  Tuyl,  A.,  437 

Van  Vleck,  Charles  F.,  1006 

Van  Wegen,  Lee  M.,  771 

Varney,  Samuel  B.,  784 

Vennum,  E.  M.,  414 

Vennum,  F.  B.,  414 


Vermilion  County,  136 

Vesper  Chapter  No.  128,  O.  E.  S.,  420 

Vieregg,  Charles  A.,  360 

Villages,  population  (1833-1917),  169 

Vincennes  captured  by  Americans,  62 

Voliva,  W.  G.,  447 

Vollborn,  Mrs.  A.  L.,  475 

Wabash  Railroad,  347,  515 

Wabash,  St.    Louis    &    Pacific    Railroad, 

348 

Waddington,  Ed.,  481 
Wade,  Isaac  N.,  762 
Wade,  Luther  C.,  968 
Wade,  Mrs.  I.  N.,  408 
Wagner,  A.  J.,  398,  399 
Wagner,  Minnie,  879 
Wagner,  Peter  J.,  878 
Walker,  T.  C.,  205 
Walkington,  John,  395 
Walkington,  William,  420 
\\'a!(,  A.   8.,   205 
Wallace,  Charles  H.,  454,  1052 
Wallace,  J.  W.,  473 
Walls,  Arthur  T.,  697 
Wampler,  William,  517 
Wantwood,  5 
Ware,  James  C.,  164 
Warlick,  J.  R.,  508 
Warner,  Charles  D.,  493 
Warner,  Claude  B.,  681 
Washington  Park,  393 
Water  supply,  11 
Water,  W.,  387 
Watkins,  J.  R.,  517 
Watson,  George  L.,  660 
Watson,  Mary  E.,  766 
Watts,  Charles  H.,  230,  688 
Weaver,  Bill,  161 
Weaver-Hiltibran  murder,  179 
Webber,  Charles  M.,  680 
Webber,  Charles  W.,   164 
Webber,  G.  W.,  454 
Webber,  Thomas  R.,  134,  136,  139,  143, 

144,  164,  343,  367,  428,  429 
Webber,  William  B.,  194,  431 
Webber,  William  T.,  429 
Webster,  C.  D.,  437 
Webster,  W.  H.,  396,  445 
Weeks,  John  B.,  410 
Weeks,  S.  E.,  410 
Wegeng,  John  C.,  998 
Welles,  Thomas  B.,  747 
Wells,  Albert  E.,  401 
Wendling,  Charles  P.,  986 
Weston,  Martha  K.,  571 
Weston,  Nathan  A.,  303,  305,  387 
West  Church  Street,  Champaign   (view), 

401 

West  Main  Street,  Urbana  (view),  427 
West    Urbana     (see    Champaign),    370; 

founded,  343 


INDEX 


XXVll 


West  Urbana,  First  Schoolhouse   (view), 

424 

Western  Electric  Light  Company,  349 
Western   Star  Lodge   No.   240,  A.   F.  & 

A.  M.,  416 
Wheeler,  A.  M.,  423 
Whitaker,  John,  136,  144 
Whitcomb,  A.  L.,  205 
Whitcomb,  E.  T.,  388 
White,  David  B.,  1002 
White,  Jacob,  431 
White,  James   M.,   304 
White,  James  P.,  391 
White,  John  P.,  344,  368,  369,  378,  475 
White,  Joseph,  765 
White,  J.  E.,  205 
White,  J.  G.,  475 
White,  Mrs.  J.  G.,  475 
White  Park,  344,  368,  391 
White  Park,  General  View  in,  392 
Whitmore,  J.  P.,  514 
Whitney,  A.  M.,  417,  419,  430 
Whitney,  Henry  C.,  191,  370  ' 
Wicks,  Alfred,  503 
Wiese,  Emil  L.,  509 
Wiggins,  Charles  B.,  746 
Wiggins,  H.  J.,  473 
Wiggins,  Mrs.  P.  E.,  475 
Wilcox,  L.  S.,  203,  205,  210,  373 
Wildcat  banking,   74,  81 
Wilder,  C.  N.,  394 
Wilder,  Mrs.  C.  N.,  407 
Wilkins,  E.  D.,  396 
Wilkinson,  James  E.,  402 
Williams,  Chester  A.,  838 
Williams,  Clarence  L.,  968 
Williams,  F.  M.,  401 
Williams,  George  C.,  810 
Williams,  Isaac  V.,  490 
Williams,  James,  437 
Williams,  Jesse,  119,  499,  500 
Williams,  Thomas  D.,  356 
Williams,  Mrs.  G.  C.,  407,  409 
Wills,  Ella,    699 
Wills,  James  E.,  698 
Wilson,  David,  804 
Wilson,  James  A.,  993 
Wilson,  John  J.,  446 
Wilson,  J.  L.,  388 
Wilson,  S.   L.,  229 
Wilson,  William.  173 


Wilson,  W.  W.,  499 

Windsor,  Phineas  L.,  305,  306,  715 

Wingard,  L.   Forney,  592 

Winston,  Miller,  502,  504 

Wisegarver,  Howard,  988 

Witt,  Charles  W.,  954 

Wohlfarth,  J.  F.,  445 

Wolf,  Lewis,  752 

Wolfe,  J.  B.,  396 

Wolfe,  John  S.,  194,  354,  355,  359,  420 

Woman's  Building,  Present  (view),  255 

Woman's  Club  of  Homer,  475 

Women  admitted  to  university,  254 

Wood,  Mary,  518 

Woodin,  Thomas  J.,  1009 

Woodin,  W.  H.,  997 

Woodruff,  Mrs.  F.  C.,  449 

Woods,  William  F.,  389 

Woody,  A.  C.,  473 

Woody,  F.  Way,  409,  414 

Woody,  Paul  W.,  164,  373,  383 

Wrean,  Howard,  720 

Wright,  David  B.,  420,  578 

Wright,  Francis  M.,  159,  182,  454 

Wright,  James  S.,  165,  217,  373,  470,  472 

Wright,  John  B.,  470 

Wright,  Mrs.  F.  M.,  408 

Wright,  Randolph  C.,  164 

Wright,  Robert  C.,  165,  193,  473 

Wylie,  Laura  F.,  705 

Wyne,  John  H.,  756 

Yancey,  William  L.,  907 
Yankee  Ridge,  6,  514 
Yankee  Ridge  schoolhouse,  222 
Yeats,  J.  K.  P.,  877 
Yeazel,  Adam,  175 
Yeazel,  James  P.,  1037 
Yeazel,  Mathew  L.,  1044 
Young,  James,  495 
Youngblood,  Roy,  900 
Young  Women 's  Christian  League,  Cham- 
paign, 406 
Yount,  Nicholas,  483 

Zerby,  Guy  L.,  488 
Zilly,  Charles,  782 
Zombro,  Roger  E.,  656 
Zook,  Oscar,  481 
Zorger,  William  H_  622 


CHAPTER  I 

PHYSICAL  FEATURES 

TIMBER  AND  PRAIRIE  LANDS — BEAUTIFUL  AND  HISTORIC  GROVES — WHY 
"DEAD  MAN'S  GROVE" — FORDS — OLD  "NEIGHBORHOODS" — ALTITUDE 
OF  CITIES  AND  VILLAGES — ACTION  OF  GLACIERS — SOIL — ORIGIN  OF 
THE  PRAIRIES — WATER  SUPPLY — SWAMP  LANDS  RECLAIMED — 
STANDARD  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  CEREALS — DAIRY  PRODUCTS  AND 
LIVE  STOCK — BIRDS  AS  INSECT  DESTROYERS — CEREALS  SUPPLANT 
FRUITS — HISTORY  OF  HORTICULTURE  IN  COUNTY — AGRICULTURAL 
AND  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETIES — AGRICULTURAL,  HORTICULTURAL 
AND  MECHANICAL  ASSOCIATION — THE  FARMERS'  CLUB  AND  FAIR 
ASSOCIATION — CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  FARMERS'  INSTITUTE — THE 
FARM  BUREAU. 

One  of  the  richest,  most  prosperous  and  progressive  counties  in 
southern  Illinois,  Champaign  also  represents  a  nucleus  of  mental  activity 
and  culture,  national,  even  international,  in  its  scope.  The  cities  of 
Champaign  and  Urbana,  virtually  one  municipal  community,  although 
separately  incorporated,  are  of  unique  character  in  that  their  prosperity 
has  been  largely  stimulated  by  the  activities  of  what  has  become  a 
great  university;  that  their  material  growth  still  is  invigorated  by  its 
membership;  that  they  are  practically  without  industries,  and  yet  that 
they  thrive  and  expand  and  possess  a  vigorous  and  developing  life 
seldom  enjoyed  by  a  university  town,  and  certainly  by  no  other  like 
municipality  in  the  United  States. 

Champaign  County  has  two  cities  and  seventeen  incorporated  villages 
within  its  limits.  It  is  divided  into  twenty-eight  townships,  is  bisected 
by  the  fortieth  degree  of  north  latitude,  which  crosses  it  about  four 
miles  south  of  the  courthouse  at  Urbana,  and  is  about  thirty-six  miles 
from  north  to  south  and  twenty-eight  east  and  west. 

l 
i—i 


2  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

TIMBER  AND  PEAIHIE  LANDS 

There  are  no  bold  features  of  the  landscape  to  be  recorded,  its 
contour  being  usually  rolling  and  pleasing,  and  particularly  conducive 
to  the  cultivation  of  the  grains.  Champaign  is  the  banner  corn  county 
of  the  United  States,  and  there  is  no  farming  community  in  the  country 
which  is  more  contented  or  prosperous.  The  county  is  situated  entirely 
within  what  the  early  French  explorers  denominated  the  Grand  Prairie 
of  the  West,  which  they  described  as  extending  from  the  headwaters 
of  the  Mississippi  to  the  Wabash  Eiver.  Originally  the  timber  lands 
extended  pretty  generally  along  the  courses  of  the  streams,  and  embraced 
such  groves  as  Linn,  Mink,  Sadorus,  Hickory,  Burr  and  Cherry.  As 
the  pioneers  were  disinclined  to  get  far  away  from  the  timber  strips,  the 
more  fertile  easily  cultivated  prairie  stretches  were  long  neglected;  as 
the  wooded  lands  received  the  more  attention,  it  is  believed  that  their 
quantity  was  not  as  great  as  has  been  supposed  and  that  the  old  estimate 
that  one-fifth  the  surface  of  Champaign  County  was  originally  covered 
with  native  forests  is  too  high. 

There  is  a  distinct  watershed  running  through  the  western  part  of 
the  county.  The  Kaskaskia,  emptying  into  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Sangamon,  flowing  into  the  Illinois,  also  a  part  of  the  system  embraced 
by  the  Father  of  Waters,  drain  the  western  third,  while  the  Salt  Fork 
of  the  Vermilion,  the  Middle  Fork  of  that  stream  and  the  Little  Ver- 
milion, and  the  Embarrass,  are  portions  of  the  Wabash  system  and 
drain  the  remainder  of  the  county.  Generally  speaking,  the  Sangamon 
River  and  its  branches,  Wild  Cat,  Big  and  Tree  Creek,  Water  Mahomet, 
Condit,  Newcomb,  East  Bend  and  Brown  townships,  and  the  Kas- 
kaskia, with  its  tributaries,  Scott,  Champaign,  Tolono,  Colfax,  Sadorus 
and  Pesotum.  The  Embarrass  rises  south  of  Urbana  on  the  University 
farm,  and  drains  the  southwestern  part  of  Urbana  Township,  and  Philo, 
Crittenden,  Raymond  and  Ayers  townships.  North  of  the  Embarrass, 
the  Vermilion  system  spreads  over  such  eastern  townships  as  South 
Homer,  Sidney,  St.  Joseph,  Ogden,  Stanton,  Compromise,  Rantoul,  Kerr 
and  Harwood. 

BEAUTIFUL  AND  HISTORIC  GROVES 

Before  the  county  was  divided  into  townships,  many  of  the  localities 
outside  the  villages  and  other  distinct  centers  of  population  were  desig- 
nated by  groves  and  fords  and  other  natural  features.  "The  Big  Grove," 
says  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham,  "was  the  large  grove  of  natural  timber 
just  north  of  the  city  of  Urbana,  lying  partly  in  Town  19  and  partly 
in  Town  20.  The  Salt  Fork  was  a  general  term  used  to  designate  not 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN"    COUNTY  3 

only  the  lands  covered  by  the  timber  along  that  stream,  but  the  neigh- 
boring farms,  from  its  northern  extremity  to  the  point  where  it  leaves 
the  county.  Homer  and  Sidney  were  villages  along  the  stream  and  the 
names  were  used  to  specialize  neighborhoods.  So,  'On  the  Sangamon' 
was  understood  to  refer  to  the  neighborhoods  on  both  sides  of  the  river 


OLD  SUGAR  CAMP,  SADOBCS  GROVE 

from  its  headwaters  to  the  Piatt  County  line.  There  were  the  Okaw 
and  the  Ambraw  settlements,  by  which  was  understood  the  neighborhoods 
about  and  in  the  timber  belts  along  those  streams,  so  far  as  they  lay  in 
this  county.  Middle  Fork  (of  Salt  Fork)  was  understood  to  mean 
the  timber  sometimes  called  Sugar  Grove  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
county.  Sadorus  Grove  was  the  designation  of  the  isolated  grove  of 
timber  at  the  head  of  the  Kaskaskia  River  in  which  Henry  Sadorus 
and  his  family  settled  when  they  came  to  the  county.  Bowse's  Grove 
referred  to  a  small  grove  of  natural  timber  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Embarrass  River.  Linn  Grove,  as  a  name,  early  became  attached  to 


4  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

the  beautiful  eminence  crowned  with  trees  of  Nature's  planting  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  Sidney ,  Township,  which  name  it  yet  retains.  Lost 
Grove,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Ayers  Township,  is  supposed  to  have 
received  its  name  from  its  remoteness  from  everywhere  else.  Hickory 
Grove,  in  St.  Joseph  and  Ogden  townships ;  Burr  Oak  Grove,  in  Ogden ; 
Mink  Grove,  in  Rantoul,  and  Dead  Man's  Grove,  in  St.  Joseph  Town- 
ship, like  those  above  named,  had  a  definite  meaning  and  referred  to 
certain  localities,  though,  like  some  of  them,  these  names  now  mean 
nothing,  having  passed  from  use.  The  last  name  has  not  been  in  use 
for  many  years,  the  grove  referred  to  having  long  been  called  Corray's, 
taking  its  later  name  from  a  nearby  dweller.  It  received  its  first  name 
from  the  circumstance  of  finding  there  the  body  of  a  man  who  had 
died  alone. 

WHY  "DEAD  MAN'S  GROVE" 

"The  tradition  is  that  many  years  since  and  before  the  settlement  of 
the  prairies,  a  band  of  regulators  from  an  Indiana  settlement,  having 
found  the  trail  of  a  horsethief,  who  had  successfully  carried  his  stolen 
animal  as  far  as  the  Tow-Head,  overtook  the  thief  there,  finding  him 
fast  asleep  under  the  shade  of  this  little  grove.  Without  the  form  of 
a  trial  the  offender  was  promptly  executed  by  being  hung  by  the  neck 
to  one  of  the  trees  until  he  was  dead,  where  his  body  was  found  by  the 
next  passerby.  This  grove  of  timber  was  near  the  road  which  led  from 
Salt  Fork  timber  westward  to  Sadorus  Grove  and  the  Okaw. 

"About  one  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Philo,  in  the  early  times, 
was  a  tuft  or  small  patch  of  timber  and  brush — along  the  margin  of  a 
small  pond,  which  protected  it  from  the  annual  prairie  fires — of  less 
than  one  acre,  which,  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  country,  was  a 
noted  landmark  for  travelers,  and  which  was  known  far  and  wide  as 
the  Tow-Head  from  its  supposed  resemblance  to  something  bearing 
that  name.  Its  position  upon  a  very  high  piece  of  prairie  made  it 
visible  for  many  miles  around.  It. has  long  since  yielded  to  the  march 
of  improvement,  and  its  foster  guardian,  the  pond,  has  likewise  given 
way  to  the  same  enemy  of  the  picturesque,  and  now  yields  each  year 
fine  crops  of  corn. 

"A  little  distance  north  of  the  village  of  Ivesdale  is  a  grove  of  small 
timber,  formerly  known  as  Cherry  Grove  by  early  settlers.  Its  name, 
perhaps  now  obsolete,  was  probably  derived  from  the  kind  of  timber 
growing  in  the  grove,  or  most  prevalent,  as  was  the  case  with  other 
groves  heretofore  named.  These  groves  and  belts  of  timber  served  the 
early  comers  here  as  landmarks,  so  conspicuous  were  they  on  the  horizon, 
and,  in  the  absence  of  trails  to  guide  the  traveler,  they  served  an 
excellent  purpose  as  such. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  5 

"Adkins  Point  referred  to  a  point  of  timber  reaching  to  the  north 
from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Big  Grove  in  Somer  Township,  and 
got  its  name  from  the  residence  there  of  the  family  of  Lewis  Adkins. 

"Nox's  Point  meant  the  locality  of  the  village  of  Sidney,  and 
received  its  name  from  the  first  settler  in  the  point  made  by  the  Salt 
Fork  timber  in  its  eastward  trend.  The  settler  was  William  Nox. 

"Pancake's  Point  called  to  mind  a  point  of  timber  reaching  west- 
ward from  the  Sangamon  timber  in  Newcomb  Township,  and  owes  its 
name  to  Jesse  W.  Pancake,  who  lived  there  more  than  fifty  years  since. 

"There  was  Sodom,  a  neighborhood  above  the  village  of  Fisher, 
which  was  afterward  used  as  the  name  of  a  postoffice  established  there. 
Why  the  location  got  this  name  so  suggestive  of  evil  reputation  is  not 
known. 

"So,  Wantwood  was  applied  to  a  treeless  expanse  of  prairie  reaching 
north  from  the  head  of  Sangamon  timber,  the  early  settler  knew  not 
how  far. 

FORDS 

"There  were  also  fords  across  the  streams  where  early  roads,  in 
default  of  bridges,  led  the  traveler  through  deep  waters.  Of  these 
there  were  Strong's  Ford  and  Prather's  Ford,  both  across  the  Salt 
Fork,  one  about  a  mile  north  and  the  other  the  same  distance  south 
of  the  village  of  St.  Joseph.  The  former  was  where  the  iron  bridge 
on  the  State  road  spans  the  stream,  and  was  later  called  Kelley's  Ford. 
Both  fords  received  their  distinctive  names  from  nearby  dwellers  A 
ferry  was  maintained  by  Joseph  T.  Kelley  at  the  former.  The  latter, 
'or  Prather's  Ford,  was  at  the  crossing  of  the  Salt  Fork  by  the  Danville 
and  Fort  Clark  road. 

"On  the  Sangamon  were  two  well  known  fords  with  distinctive 
names.  One  at  the  village  of  Mahomet  (or  Middletown,  as  the  village 
was  known  fifty  years  since)  was  called  Bryan's  Ford,  from  John 
Bryan,  a  contiguous  land-owner,  who  maintained  a  ferry  there.  The 
iron  bridge  a  few  rods  away  has,  for  many  years,  furnished  a  better 
means  of  crossing  the  stream.  The  other,  of  historic  fame,  was  known 
as  Newcom's  Ford,  from  Ethan  Newcom,  a  pioneer  who  came  to  the 
county  in  the  early  '30s.  It  was  at  the  crossing  of  the  Sangamon  River 
by  the  Danville  and  Fort  Clark  road,  and,  besides  being  a  ford  of  the 
river,  was  a  place  where  travelers  camped  in  great  numbers.  It  was 
near  the  line  which  divides  Township  21  and  22,  Range  8,  and  in  later 
years  it  gave  the  name  of  Newcomb  to  another  township,  although  the 
final  "b"  of  the  name,  as  thus  used,  is  in  addition  to  the  spelling  in 
use  by  the  owner.  Mr.  Newcom  spelled  his  name  'Ethan  Newcom' 
where  signed  to  a  deed. 


6  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

OLD  "NEIGHBORHOODS" 

"Then  there  were  neighborhoods  in  the  county  which,  from  some 
peculiarity  or  other  in  their  early  settlement,  took  upon  themselves 
peculiar  names,  most  of  which  have  been  forgotten  or  fallen  into  disuse. 
Among  these  may  be  recalled  the  Kentucky  Settlement,  now  in  Eantoul 
Township.  This  was  on  account  of  the  coming  there  prior  to  1860  of 
B.  C.  Bradley  and  many  other  thrifty  farmers  from  Kentucky.  The 
settlement  was  a  compact  gathering  of  good  families  upon  a  hitherto 
unbroken  prairie,  so  arranged  that  the  social  and  school  advantages 
enjoyed  elsewhere  were  not  suspended.  In  like  manner  the  location 
about  the  ridge  in  Philo  Township,  which  divides  the  waters  of  the 
Salt  Fork  from  those  flowing  into  the  Ambraw  (Embarrass),  about 
1856  became  the  home  of  a  colony  from  Massachusetts  and  other  Eastern 
states,  among  whom  may  be  named  E.  W.  Parker  and  his  brother,  G.  W. 
Parker,  Lucius,  David  and  T.  C.  Eaton,  and  others  of  New  England 
origin — which  gave  the  neighborhood  the  name  Yankee  Ridge,  which 
it  bears  to  this  day.  So,  the  gathering  upon  the  flat  lands  bordering 
the  headwaters  of  the  Salt  Fork  in  Compromise  Township,  of  a  large 
number  of  Germans,  who  distinguished  themselves  as  good  farmers 
and  good  citizens,  has  given  their  neighborhood  the  name  of  Dutch 
Flats,  which  it  is  likely  to  maintain." 

Thus  have  the  water  courses  of  Champaign  County  had  a  large 
share  in  fixing  local  nomenclature  upon  many  sections  which  have  not 
been  officially  named  either  by  the  postoffice  department  of  the  general 
Government  or  the  Legislature  of  the  State. 

ALTITUDES  OF  CITIES  AND  VILLAGES 

The  topography  of  the  county  has  been  thoroughly  delineated  by 
the  State  Geological  and  the  United  States  Geological  surveys,  as  well 
as  by  experts  connected  with  the  University  of  Illinois,  especially  by 
Prof.  C.  W.  Rolfe  of  the  Illinois  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History. 
Based  upon  such  authorities,  it  is  found  that  the  altitudes  of  the 
incorporated  cities  and  villages  in  the  county  are  as  follows :  Ludlow, 
770;  Champaign,  741;  Rantoul,  756;  Urbana,  718;  Philo,  737;  Tolono, 
733;  Thomasboro,  731;  Fisher,  721;  Pesotum,  715;  Mahomet,  709; 
Sadorus,  691 ;  Ivesdale,  679 ;  Longview,  678 ;  St.  Joseph,  676 ;  Sidney, 
673;  Homer,  661. 

ACTION  OF  GLACIERS 

A  consideration  of  these  elevations  and  others  in  other  portions  of 
the  county  indicates  a  general  inclination  of  the  land  surface  from 


HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  7 

northwest  to  southeast,  although,  as  stated,  there  is  a  distinct  water- 
shed which  divides  the  Wabash  system  from  that  of  the  Illinois  and 
the  Mississippi.  This  general  trend  was  determined  by  glacial  action, 
the  great  ice  sheet  moving  down  from  the  north,  scouring  off  the  land, 
its  successive  onward  stages  being  indicated  by  ridges  or,  geologically 
speaking,  moraines,  which  rise  above  the  surface  of  the  surrounding 
country  to  heights  varying  from  twenty  to  a  hundred  feet.  The  glaciers 
which  moved  across  what  is  now  Champaign  County  were  portions  of 
what  have  become  known  as  the  Bloomington  and  the  Champaign  sys- 
tems, the  former,  which  plowed  across  the  northeast  corner,  being  bold 
and  aggressive  in  character  and  leaving  behind  ridges  from  fifty  to  a 
hundred  feet  high.  The  streams  have  cut  these  into  knolls  or  hills, 
creating  the  most  considerable  heights  in  the  county — near  Ludlow, 
from  820  to  830  feet  above  sea  level;  near  Dillsburg,  from  810  to  820 
feet,  and  just  east  of  Gilford  and  Flatville,  820  feet.  The  second 
moraine  enters  from  Piatt  County  in  a  series  of  ridges  which  join  the 
Bloomington  system  when  well  within  Champaign  County.  The  main 
ridge  enters  near  Mahomet,  is  broken  by  the  Sangamon  River,  its 
heights  ranging  from  750  to  670  feet,  and  after  reaching  out  into  the 
central  parts  of  the  county,  breaks  into  three  distinct  ridges  and  passes 
over  into  Vermilion  County.  At  Rising,  where  an  altitude  of  810  feet 
is  reached,  the  large  branch  which  connects  the  Bloomington  and  Cham- 
paign systems,  is  given  oft  to  the  northeast.  These  moraines  are  the 
watersheds  of  the  Wabash  and  Mississippi  basins. 

No  other  single  agent  has  been  so  potent  in  the  modification  of  the 
surface  of  the  earth  as  have  glaciers  and  ice  sheets;  and  this  statement 
applies  with  particular  significance  to  central  Illinois  and  Champaign 
County.  When  it  is  remembered  that  these  ice  sheets  were  hundreds 
and  possibly  thousands  of  feet  thick,  and  were  hundreds  of  miles  in 
width  and  length,  some  adequate  idea  may  be  formed  of  their  power 
to  plow  up  and  completely  change  the  surface  structure  of  the  earth. 

The  debris  which  they  brought  from  the  Laurential  mountains  of 
Canada  was  distributed  over  Illinois  generally,  greatly  to  the  enrich- 
ment of  its  soils.  This  material,  which  eventually  became  the  wonder- 
fully productive  soil  in  all  the  glacial  areas,  was  transported  in  several 
ways.  Much  of  it  was  pushed  along  mechanically  in  front  of  the 
advancing  ice-sheet,  so  that  when  the  forward  movement  began  to  be 
retarded,  this  material  was  left  scattered  along  the  edges  of  the  advancing 
body.  Much  material  was  carried  along  under  the  ice-sheet  and  was 
ground  and  distributed  over  the  glacial  area.  Other  material,  again, 
was  carried  to  the  surface  of  the  ice-sheet,  and  often  deeply  imbedded 
in  it.  When  the  movement  was  finally  checked,  the  superimposed  mate- 


8  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

rial  becoming  heated  by  the  sun,  worked  its  way  through  the  ice  and 
rested  on  the  ground,  the  whole  body  of  ice  eventually  melting. 

Vast  quantities  of  material  were  also  carried  by  the  streams  which 
continually  flowed  from  the  melting  ice.  Much  of  the  detritus  was 
left  on  the  broad,  flat  prairies,  but  much  was  carried  into  the  streams 
which  overflowed  their  banks,  where  it  was  deposited  as  alluvium. 

The  material  which  these  glaciers  brought  into  the  State  of  Illinois, 
as  the  basis  of  her  vast  material  wealth,  goes  under  the  general  name  of 
Drift.  Its  composition  varies,  but  its  main  constituents  are  clay,  sand 
and  boulders.  This  drift  is  sometimes  found  stratified,  but  more  gener- 
ally is  without  definite  layer  formation. 

Without  going  into  details  as  to  authorities,  it  may  be  stated  that, 
in  North  America,  there  seems  to  have  been  three  great  centers  of 
glacial  movement — one  known  as  the  Labrador  ice  sheet;  a  second 
called  the  Kewatin  ice  sheet,  and  the  third,  the  Cordilleran  ice  sheet. 
The  first  sheet  had  its  center  of  movement  near  the  central  point  of  the 
peninsula  of  Labrador;  the  second,  near  the  western  shore  of  Hudson 
Bay,  and  the  third  moved  from  the  Canadian  Rockies. 

The  ice  sheet,  the  center  of  which  rested  on  the  Labrador  peninsula, 
moved  northeast,  northwest,  south  and  southwest,  the  movement  in  the 
direction  last  named  starting  a  large  section  of  the  vast  body  toward 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Illinois.  The  Labradorean  sheet  reached  its 
extreme  southern  limit  in  southern  Illinois,  some  1,600  miles  from  the 
point  of  departure.  The  advancing  front  in  Illinois  took  the  form  of 
a  gigantic  crescent,  and  its  extreme  southern  reach,  according  to  the 
most  recent  geological  surveys,  may  be  traced  from  Randolph  County 
southeast,  through  the  southern  side  of  Jackson  eastward  through 
southern  Williamson,  east  and  northeast  through  southeastern  Saline, 
northeastward  to  the  Wabash  through  the  northwest  corner  of  Gallatin 
and  southeastern  White.  That  line  also  marks  the  southern  limit  of 
the  prairie  areas,  and  is  coincident  with  the  northern  foothills  of  the 
Ozark  Mountains,  which  trend  east  and  west  across  the  State  through 
Union,  Johnson,  Pope  and  Hardin. 

According  to  the  more  recent  investigations,  Illinois  was  subject 
to  at  least  four  ice-sheet  invasions.  In  the  order  of  time,  these  were 
(a)  the  Illinois  sheet,  which  covered  nearly  the  entire  State;  (b)  the 
lowan  sheet,  moving  over  the  area  bounded  by  the  Rock  River  on 
the  west,  Wisconsin  on  the  north,  Lake  Michigan  on  the  east,  and  on 
the  south  by  a  parallel  extended  from  the  southerly  bend  of  that  body 
of  water;  (c)  the  Earlier  Wisconsin,  covering  the  northeastern  fourth 
of  Illinois,  and  (d)  the  Later  Wisconsin,  plowing  out  the  western 
borders  of  Lake  Michigan  and  extending  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles  west- 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  9 

ward.  The  Illinois  ice-sheet  is  the  one,  obviously,  which  included 
Champaign  County  in  its  operations.  The  details  of  its  work,  in  this 
more  limited  area,  have  already  been  given. 

SOIL 

The  surface  of  Champaign  County,  as  a  general  thing,  is  composed 
of  black  prairie  soil,  from  one  to  five  feet  in  thickness.  This  prairie 
soil  is  underlaid  by  a  yellow  clay  subsoil.  Below  this  clay  subsoil 
occur  alternate  beds  of  clay,  gravel  and  quicksand  of  the  drift  forma- 
tion to  the  depth  of  from  120  to  250  feet,  below  which  there  are  other 
alternations  of  shale,  slate,  soapstone  and  limestone,  with  one  or  more 
beds  of  coal. 

Much  of  the  loose  materials  found  above  the  rocky  beds  of  Cham- 
paign County  are  composed  of  what  is  called  "drift,"  which  consists  of 
clay,  sand,  rounded  and  water-worn  masses  of  granite  and  porphyry, 
together  with  the  red  sandstone  of  the  Lake  Superior  region,  all  of 
which  have  been  swept  southward  from  their  native  beds  with  a  force 
sufficient  to  obliterate  the  angles  from  the  hardest  fragments;  and 
these  have  been  rudely  intermingled  with  the  surface  materials  of  the 
formations  over  which  they  were  transported.  This  drift,  as  it  was 
deposited,  filled  up  the  beds  of  the  ancient  valleys  and  covered  much 
of  the  remaining  surface  to  a  greater  or  lesser  depth.  The  transporta- 
tion of  this  "drift"  for  such  a  long  distance  is  probably  due  to  the  slow 
but  powerful  movement  of  immense  glaciers  from  the  frozen  regions  of 
the  north,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  glaciers  of  the  mountain  regions 
of  Europe  are  now  slowly  melting  and  sliding  and  dragging  with  them 
huge  masses  of  mountain  rock,  wrenched  off  with  Titantic  force  by  the 
departing  ice. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRAIRIES 

Nothing  in  the  New  World  was  more  interesting  to  the  European 
than  the  broad  prairies  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio.  In 
1817  Governor  Edward  Coles,  then  a  young  man  returning  from  a 
diplomatic  mission  to  Russia,  stopped  in  France  and  England.  He 
was  a  Virginian,  but  had  traveled  through  the  West  and  had  himself 
been  greatly  charmed  by  the  rich  grandeur  of  the  prairie  lands.  The 
French  and  the  English  never  tired  of  his  graphic  descriptions  of  them, 
and  among  his  charmed  auditors  was  Morris  Birkbeck,  a  prosperous 
tenant  farmer  of  England,  who  was  thereby  induced  to  come  to  America 
and  settle  in  Edwards  County,  southeastern  Illinois.  In  later  years 
Dickens  went  into  raptures  over  his  first  sight  of  a  "western"  prairie, 
revealing  his  sentiments  in  his  "Notes  on  America." 


10  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

When  the  first  French  explorers  reached  the  Mississippi  Valley,  they 
were  amazed  at  the  great  sweep  of  timberless  areas,  although  they 
originally  applied  their  word,  "prairie,"  to  describe  the  flat  bottom 
lands  of  the  river  valleys.  Nor  is  the  application  of  the  word  to  such 
tracts  inappropriate,  as  it  has  been  shown  by  geologists  that  the  forma- 
tion of  the  prairies  of  central  Illinois  is  identical  in  character  with  the 
formation  of  the  bottom  lands  along  the  Mississippi,  the  Ohio  and  other 
smaller  rivers. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  to  the  Illinois  country  they  are  said  to 
have  found  about  one-fourth  of  it  timbered  and  the  remainder  timber- 
less,  or  prairie  lands.  They  designated  the  largest  timberless  area  the 
Grand  Prairie,  and  it  was  virtually  limited  by  the  great  watershed 
which  divides  the  basins  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio.  It  extends 
from  the  northwestern  part  of  Jackson  County  through  Perry,  part  of 
Williamson,  Washington,  Jefferson,  Marion,  Fayette,  Effingham,  Coles, 
Champaign  and  Iroquois,  crosses  the  Kankakee  Eiver  and  extends  to  the 
southern  end  of  Lake  Michigan.  Champaign  County  is  therefore 
almost  in  the  center  of  the  Grand  Prairie  of  Illinois. 

The  origin  of  the  prairies  has  been  a  debatable  question  for  many 
decades.  Three  general  theories  have  been  advanced  to  account  for  their 
existence  at  the  time  of  the  coming  of  the  earliest  settlers  into  the 
limits  of  Illinois.  One  explanation  is  that  the  great  prairie  fires  which 
annually  swept  over  the  Grand  Prairie  effectually  kept  the  trees  from 
making  any  headway.  But  there  are  two  scientific  explanations  which 
seem  to  go  more  to  the  bedrock  of  the  matter. 

Says  a  late  writer  on  this  subject :  "Professor  Whitney  holds  to 
the  theory  that  the  treeless  prairies  have  had  their  origin  in  the  char- 
acter of  the  original  deposits,  or  soil  formation.  He  does  not  deny,  in 
fact  admits,  the  submersion  of  all  prairie  lands  formerly  as  lakes  or 
swamps;  but  he  holds  that  while  the  lands  were  so  submerged  there 
was  deposited  a  very  fine  soil,  which  he  attributes,  in  part,  to  the  under- 
lying rocks,  and  in  part  to  the  accumulation  in  the  bottom  of  immense 
lakes,  of  a  sediment  of  almost  impalpable  fineness.  This  soil  in  its 
physical,  and  probably  in  its  chemical,  composition  prevents  the  trees 
from  naturally  getting  a  foothold  in  the  prairies. 

"Professor  Lesquereux  holds  to  the  theory  simply  stated  that  all 
areas  properly  called  prairies  were  formed  by  the  redemption  of  what 
was  once  lake  regions  and  later  swamp  territory.  He  points  out  that 
trees  grow  abundantly  in  moving  water,  but  that  when  water  is  dammed 
the  trees  always  die.  His  theory  is  that  standing  water  kills  trees  by 
preventing  the  oxygen  of  the  air  from  reaching  their  roots.  He  further 
shows  that  the  nature  of  the  soil  in  redeemed  lake  regions  is  such  that 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  11 

without  the  help  of  man  trees  will  not  grow  in  it.  But  he  further 
shows  that  by  proper  planting  the  entire  prairie  area  may  be  covered 
with  forest  trees. 

"As  rich  as  was  the  soil  of  our  prairies,  the  first  emigrants  seldom 
settled  far  out  on  these  treeless  tracts.  Most  of  the  early  comers  were 
from  the  timbered  regions  of  the  older  states  and  felt  they  could  not 
make  a  living  very  far  from  the  woods.  Coal  had  not  come  into  use 
and  wood  was  the  universal  fuel.  There  was  a  wealth  of  mast  in  the 
timber  upon  which  hogs  could  live  a  large  part  of  the  year.  Again, 
our  forefathers  had  been  used  to  the  springs  of  New  England,  Kentucky, 
Tennessee  and  Virginia,  and  they  did  not  think  they  could  live  where 
they  could  not  have  access  to  springs.  The  early  comer,  back  in  the 
'30s,  therefore,  rode  over  the  prairies  of  central  Illinois,  and  then 
entered  160  in  the  timber,  where  he  cleared  his  land  and  opened  his 
farm." 

After  a  careful  investigation  of  the  subject,  some  of  the  most 
eminent  geologists  of  Illinois  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the 
extensive  prairies  of  the  West,  with  their  peculiar  soil,  have  been  formed 
in  the  past  pretty  much  as  prairies  on  a  smaller  scale  are  being  formed 
at  the  present  day.  The  black,  friable  mold,  of  which  the  prairie  soil 
is  composed,  is  due  to  the  growth  and  decay  of  successive  crops  of  coarse 
swamp  grasses,  submerged  in  spring,  and  growing  luxuriantly  in  summer, 
only  to  be  submerged  again,  and  returned,  in  a  rotten  condition,  to 
the  annual  accumulations  before  made.  It  is  not  difficult  to  believe 
that  in  a  few  hundred  years,  more  or  less,  as  the  great  sheet  of  water 
that  once  covered  the  entire  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  tributaries, 
gradually  receded  to  the  present  water  courses,  and  left  the  prairies  in 
the  condition  of  alternate  wet  and  dry  swails,  that  a  black,  mucky 
soil  was  produced  to  the  depth  now  found  upon  the  prairies.  In  process 
of  time,  by  more  complete  recession  of  the  waters,  the  surface  of  the 
prairies  became  dry,  and  adapted  to  the  wants  of  animals  and  men. 
The  fact  of  there  being  no  trees  on  the  prairies  is  accounted  for  on  the 
ground  that  such  a  condition  of  the  soil  as  is  here  described  is  not  favor- 
able to  their  growth,  as  may  be  often  noticed  in  the  marshy  spots  of 
timbered  regions. 

WATER  SUPPLY 

The  splendid  water  supply  of  Champaign  County  is  accounted  for 
by  the  presence  of  the  glacial  drift,  which  forms  the  striking  feature 
of  the  surface  geology  of  Champaign  County.  Miss  DeEtte  Rolfe, 
who  has  written  much  and  well  on  this  subject,  explains  the  matter 
thus :  "Irregularly  interspersed  in  this  drift  are  long  strips  and  beds 


12  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  gravel  which  have  their  outcrops  on  the  flanks  of  the  moraines. 
These,  being  surrounded  by  the  dense  clay,  form  pockets  which  become 
reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water.  It  is  on  these  reservoirs  that  the 
county  must  rely  for  its  water  supply.  The  water  obtained  from  them 
is  of  good  quality,  except  in  the  somewhat  rare  instances  where  the 
outcrop  of  the  gravel  bed  is  so  situated  as  to  be  exposed  to  contaminating 
influences,  or  in  those  cases,  which  should  never  occur,  where  the  wells 
themselves  are  contaminated.  As  these  gravel  beds  are  distributed 
through  the  drift  at  different  depths,  the  well,  even  on  adjoining  lots, 
may  vary  in  depth.  The  quantity  of  water  furnished  by  a  well  is 
governed  by  the  size  of  the  gravel  bed  from  which  it  draws  its  supply. 
The  deep  wells  of  the  county  generally  draw  from  the  beds  deposited 
between  the  two  sheets  of  drift;  their  difference  in  depth  depends  on 
the  irregularities  of  the  first  drift  surface." 

What  is  termed  the  "Artesian  Water  Eegion  of  Illinois"  extends  a 
short  distance  into  the  northeastern  portion  of  Champaign  County.  It 
is  simply  a  stratum  of  water-bearing  sandstone,  overlaid  by  a  thick 
stratum  of  tough  clay,  which  confines  the  water  to  the  sandstone  level. 
Wherever  holes  are  drilled  through  this  overlying  clay,  the  confined 
waters  of  the  sandstone  rise  to  the  surface  through  the  outlets,  furnish- 
ing an  economical  and  valuable  supply  of  water  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses. This  stratum  of  sandstone  is  called  the  St.  Peter's,  and  is 
supposed  to  be  the  same  stratum  that  supplies  artesian  water  to  the 
counties  of  LaSalle,  Grundy,  Will  and  Cook. 

Clay  and  sand  are  the  only  elements  underlying  the  Champaign 
prairie-sod  that  can  be  used  for  building  purposes.  Of  the  clay,  a  fair 
quality  of  brick  and  drain  tile  are  being  made  in  several  places.  The 
fire-clay,  soapstone  and  limestone  are  covered  too  deeply  with  "drift" 
to  admit  of  their  being  economically  brought  to  the  surface.  Our  chief 
sources  of  building  stone  and  lime  must  continue  to  be  the  quarries  of 
Kankakee. 

SWAMP  LANDS  RECLAIMED 

Until  about  forty  years  ago  a  class  of  Champaign  County  lands  was 
as  carefully  avoided  as  the  prairies  of  an  earlier  period ;  like  the 
prairie  lands,  they  also  proved  of  unusual  value.  For  years  the  swamps 
and  lowlands  were  considered  as  tracts  which  were  worse  than  valueless; 
as  so  many  pestilential  breeders  of  malaria  and  other  diseases.  But  in 
the  early  '50s  much  Federal  and  State  legislation  was  directed  toward 
the  policy  of  donating  such  overflowed  lands  to  the  various  counties. 
The  result  was  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  county  authorities  more 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  13 

particularly  to  the  subject,  and  cause  them  to  consider  whether  after 
all  they  should  not  attempt  to  reclaim  the  swamp  lands  to  conditions 
of  productiveness.  In  1853  Benjamin  Thrasher  was  appointed  to  exam- 
ine all  the  unsold  lands  in  the  county  coming  within  the  definition  of 
the  Federal  Act  as  "swamp  and  overflowed  lands,"  and  to  submit  a 
report  thereof  to  the  County  Court.  He  reported  that  85,000  acres  in 
Champaign  County  answered  to  that  description,  and  nearly  36,000 
acres  of  such  land  was  subsequently  confirmed  to  the  county.  These 
lands  were  sold  and  the  funds  used,  in  part,  for  the  erection  of  a  court- 
house in  1860  and  to  increase  the  school  fund. 

It  was  upon  these  lands  that  the  great  work  of  drainage  was  accom- 
plished nearly  twenty  years  thereafter.  In  1878  the  State  Constitution 
was  amended  by  the  addition  of  the  drainage  section,  which  authorized 
the  formation  of  drainage  companies,  the  digging  and  tiling  of  ditches, 
and  for  purposes  of  regulation  and  systematic  work  it  divided  the  sub- 
merged lands  into  districts,  with  supervising  officials.  Soon  after  the 
year  1880  the  system  and  the  work  were  in  operation.  Since  then  the 
cost  of  these  improvements  has  been  great,  having  been  estimated  at  con- 
siderable over  $1,000,000.  This  embraces  expenditures  made  by  private 
individuals,  by  local  districts  organized  by  township  authorities,  and  by 
the  authority  and  direction  of  the  County  Court.  The  lands  thus 
reclaimed  now  embrace  some  of  the  most  productive  and  valuable  tracts 
in  the  State.  Some  of  the  most  important  of  these  drainage  districts  are 
known  as  the  East  Lake  Fork,  Two-Mile  Slough,  Beaver  Lake,  Big 
Slough,  Kankakee,  Embarrass  Eiver,  Wild  Cat,  Hillsbury  Slough,  Spoon 
River  and  Little  Vermilion  River. 

STANDARD  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  CEREALS 

The  soils  of  Champaign  County  seem  to  be  especially  formed  to 
raise  corn  and  oats.  The  elements  were  what  they  should  be,  as  fur- 
nished by  Nature,  and  the  husbandman  has  not  allowed  the  necessary 
ingredients  to  be  exhausted.  The  result  is  that  year  after  year  corn 
and  oats  are  bumper  crops,  and  grain  dealers  throughout  the  country 
have  long  considered  the  Champaign  County  cereals  as  standard.  In 
the  production  of  corn  the  county  not  only  leads  the  State  but  the 
United  States.  The  figures  vary  considerably,  as  in  other  sections  of 
the  State,  one  of  the  most  productive  years  being  that  of  1915,  in  which 
the  county  raised  13,742,000  bushels  of  corn  and  11,928,000  bushels  of 
oats,  valued  together  at  $11,219,924.  In  1916,  the  yield  dropped  to 
8,131,644  bushels  of  corn  and  9,124,920  bushels  of  oats,  the  total  value 
of  which  was  $9,699,037— $6,505,315  for  corn  and  $3,193,722  for  oats. 


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HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  15 

In  that  year,  also  Champaign  County  led  all  the  counties  of  the  State 
in  the  yield  and  value  of  its  oats,  and,  on  the  whole,  has  but  one  serious 
competitor  in  Illinois,  McLean  County.  The  county  has  a  large  acre- 
age in  winter  wheat — nearly  30,000  acres,  and  has  made  a  good  start  in 
alfalfa  and  timothy  seed. 

DAIRY  PRODUCTS  AND  LIVE  STOCK 

Its  dairy  products  comprise  milk,  cream  and  butter  in  the  following 
quantities  (1916)  :  70,884  gallons  of  milk  and  69,866  gallons  of  cream, 
valued  respectively  at  $19,139  and  $69,886,  and  98,876  pounds  of  butter, 
at  $36,584.  In  the  central  division  of  counties,  to  which  the  State 
Board  of  Agriculture  assigns  Champaign,  the  county  ranks  fifth  in 
the  annual  sale  of  butter,  which  brought,  on  an  average,  37  cents  in 
1916. 

For  the  raising  of  live  stock  Champaign  County  possesses  unusual 
advantages,  on  account  of  its  abundant  and  pure  water  supply,  its 
equable  temperature  and  the  adaptability  of  its  soils  to  the  production 
of  nutritious  grasses.  Its  horses,  especially,  are  hard  to  beat,  either 
in  quality  or  quantity.  In  this  regard  it  stands  second  among  the  central 
counties  of  Illinois,  and  fifth  in  the  entire  State.  In  the  raising  of 
horses  McLean  is  the  star  county  of  the  State,  having  49,757  in  1916, 
as  compared  to  25,424  in  Champaign.  In  May,  1916,  the  latter  had, 
also,  13,339  beef  cattle,  valued  at  $233,551,  6,719  dairy  cows,  at  $537,520, 
and  25,115  hogs,  valued  at  $375,210. 

BIRDS  AS  INSECT  DESTROYERS 

The  farmer  has  no  greater  enemy  to  his  crops  and  to  his  consequent 
well-being  than  the  obnoxious  insect,  and  there  is  seldom  one  which  does 
not  retard  some  form  of  vegetable  life  if  allowed  to  flourish  unchecked. 
Consequently  certain  varieties  of  the  feathered  tribe  are  the  farmers' 
most  useful  friends;  which  they  are,  and  what  kind  of  obnoxious 
insects  are  their  specially  favored  diets  are  thus  told  by  0.  M.  Schantz, 
president  of  the  Illinois  Audubon  Society : 

"It  is  with  very  mixed  feelings  that  I  come  to  this  meeting  of  the 
State  Farmers'  Institute  to  talk  to  the  people  of  southern  Illinois  about 
birds.  I  am  not  a  farmer  and  do  not  belong  to  this  part  of  the  country, 
but  my  wife  was  born  in  Carbondale  and  my  mother-in-law  in  Metropolis, 
and  I  have  heard  of  southern  Illinois  ever  since  I  married  into  this 
interesting  family  of  which  I  am  a  member.  [Applause.] 

"The  State  of  Illinois  is  378  miles  long  in  its  greatest  length  and 


16  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

210  miles  wide.  Owing  to  its  length  and  its  peculiar  position,  it  has 
almost  as  great  a  range  of  climatic  influences,  geographical  influences, 
and  so  on,  as  any  State  in  the  Union.  Therefore,  its  flora  and  fauna, 
its  animal  and  vegetable  life  are  extremely  varied.  The  northern  part 
is  entirely  different  in  its  geography  and  its  animal  life  from  the  south- 
ern part.  By  its  location,  part  of  it  touching  Lake  Michigan  and  the 
rest  of  it  being  tributary  to  the  great  Mississippi  Valley,  except  for  the 
water  fowl  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts,  more  migratory  birds 
pass  through  the  Mississippi  Valley  than  through  any  other  part  of 
the  United  States. 

"In  the  consideration  of  a  question  of  so  great  importance  to  the 
Illinois  farmer  as  the  relation  of  birds  to  farm  economy,  it  is  very 
necessary  to  make  clear  in  the  most  direct  manner  possible,  just  how  and 
why  the  farmer  is  to  be  benefited. 

"The  proper  time  to  plant,  seasonable  weather  during  the  growing 
season  and  also  for  the  harvesting  of  crops,  are,  naturally,  the  most 
evident  factors  in  successful  farming. 

"The  old-fashioned,  unprogressive  farmer  gave  little  thought  to 
other  and  less  noticeable  handicaps,  such  as  plant  diseases  and  the 
myriads  of  insects  that  were  the  natural  enemies  of  both  his  fruit  and 
cereal  crops.  With  the  rapid  increase  in  the  value  of  farm  lands,  the 
competition  for  markets,  and  so  forth,  it  has  become  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  a  farmer  to  know  every  factor  that  may  enter  farm  economy, 
or  he  fails  to  win  out. 

"The  lax  use  of  powers  of  observation  is  rapidly  disappearing,  and 
today  our  farmers  are  growing  more  ajid  more  alive  to  the  fact  that  a 
knowledge  of  scientific  farming  is  the  only  way  to  make  150  to  250 
acres  yield  a  profit. 

"The  agricultural  colleges  of  many  states,  and  the  Federal  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  have  for  many  years  past  conducted  most 
exhaustive  research  as  to  the  losses  due  to  noxious  insects,  and  the  most 
effective  means  of  curtailing  these  losses. 

"We  have,  by  cultivation  and  removal  of  forests,  disturbed  the  nat- 
ural balance  of  nature.  Some  of  the  changes  have  been  beneficial, 
others  very  harmful.  We  have  made  conditions  extremely  favorable 
for  the  rapid  increase  of  certain  noxious  insects.  Insect  life  increases 
at  such  an  incredible  rate  that  with  no  check  of  any  kind  everything 
green  would  soon  disappear,  and  in  a  short  time  the  land  would  be 
uninhabitable. 

"On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that  certain  of  our  most 
useful  birds  increase  as  a  result  of  the  settlement  of  land. 

"Many  birds  are  very  tolerant  of  man,  if  reasonably  protected  and 
allowed  to  rear  their  young  undisturbed. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  17 

"In  the  earlier  years  of  the  settlement  of  the  country  there  did  not 
exist  the  same  need  for  watchfulness  that  is  necessary  today. 

"The  problem  of  adequate  food  supply  for  the  world  is  a  part  of  the 
problem  of  the  United  States.  One  hundred  years  ago,  very  few  men 
devoted  even  a  small  portion  of  their  time  to  the  study  of  insects  in 
their  relation  to  the  food  supply,  or  to  the  careful  study  of  birds  as 
the  most  effective  check  on  the  spreading  of  injurious  insects.  Today 
thousands  of  men  and  women  are  preparing  earnestly  for  these  very 
important  studies,  and  the  biological  departments  of  our  colleges  and 
universities  are  of  the  most  importance  and  popular  in  all  parts  of  the 
United  States. 

"The  Illinois  Audubon  Society  was  organized  less  than  twenty  years 
ago  by  a  few  very  earnest  bird  lovers  in  Chicago.  Their  primary  object 
was  no  doubt  a  humane  desire  to  protect  from  destruction  the  many 
beautiful  birds  that  came  in  such  great  numbers  to  the  woodlands 
and  parks  in  and  around  Chicago.  The  time  has  come  when  a  much 
greater  field  is  open  for  it  and  similar  societies,  for  intelligent  work 
for  the  protection  of  birds,  not  only  for  their  beauty  and  wonderful 
songs,  but  as  a  vital  factor  in  the  economics  of  the  country's  food 
supply. 

"The  problem  of  the  city  bird  lover  is  largely  different  from  that  of 
the  farmer  and  the  people  of  the  smaller  cities  and  villages. 

"The  larger  cities,  particularly  Chicago,  are  flooded  with  thousands 
of  immigrants,  to  whom  the  United  States  means  all  sorts  of  liberty. 
License  to  kill  birds,  we  understand,  is  in  some  parts  of  southern  Europe 
held  out  as  a  great  inducement  to  prospective  emigrants  in  connection 
with  cheaper  living.  Cheap  firearms  are  sold  everywhere,  and  Sundays 
and  holidays  during  the  summer  months  see  each  day  a  veritable  'armed 
host'  scouring  the  prairies  and  woodlands  ready  to  kill  anything  that 
flies. 

"Where  transportation  is  cheap,  these  irresponsible  shooters  reach 
the  farms,  and  not  only  trespass  on  the  fields  of  growing  grain,  but 
shoot  thousands  of  the  farmers'  best  friends,  the  birds,  or  if  no  birds  can 
be  found,  his  domestic  chickens,  ducks  or  turkeys. 

"The  problems  of  Illinois  are  those  of  Iowa  and  the  other  adjoining 
prairie  states. 

"No  crop  raised  by  the  farmer  is  immune  from  insect  foes.  Many 
of  these  insects  are  so  minute  that  they  ordinarily  escape  the  notice 
of  the  casual  observer,  yet  the  damage  annually  done  on  a  single  farm 
by  these  inconspicuous  insects  may  run  into  large  sums  of  money. 

"The  different  aphides  or  plant  lice,  whose  life  cycle  is  only  a  few 
days,  increase  with  such  astounding  rapidity  that  the  figures  startle. 

1—2 


FARMERS'  FRIENDS 
(Insect  Destroyers) 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  19 

"These  soft  small  insects,  of  which  thousands  could  be  held  in  one's 
hand,  frequently  cover  the  stems  of  their  host  plants  completely. 

"The  greatest  enemy  of  the  different  aphides  is  the  warbler  family, 
which  numbers  among  the  twenty-five  or  thirty  varieties  that  visit  us 
many  of  our  smallest  birds.  The  number  of  insects  that  a  pair  of 
these  little  birds  will  consume  for  a  single  meal  is  almost  beyond  compre- 
hension. 

"To  better  understand  the  ability  of  birds  to  check  insects,  it  is 
necessary  to  know  something  of  their  marvelous  powers  of  digestion. 
Birds  fill  themselves  to  running  over  with  either  weed  seeds  or  insects 
so  that  frequently  they  are  replete  up  to  the  bill.  The  process  of  diges- 
tion is  so  powerful  and  rapid  that  they  can  eat  almost  without  stopping, 
many  birds  consuming  an  amount  of  food  each  day  equal  to  about  one- 
third  of  their  own  weight. 

"The  temperature  of  birds  and  their  circulation  is  much  greater  than 
that  of  other  animals,  consequently  it  is  largely  a  matter  of  fuel  enough 
to  keep  the  machinery  going  properly. 

"Much  painstaking  work  has  been  done  recently  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  in  order  to  ascertain  the  effect  that  wild  birds  have  on 
the  awful  insect  pests  which  have  become  so  serious  a  problem  in  that 
State. 

"While  the  conditions  in  Illinois  are  vastly  different  from  those  in 
Massachusetts,  the  results  of  the  investigation  should  be  of  great  interest 
to  Illinois  farmers. 

"It  has  been  proven  that  almost  without  exception  all  birds  have  a 
good  balance  to  their  credit  over  and  above  the  damage  they  do;  that 
even  such  conspicuously  aggressive  birds  as  the  bluejay,  grackle  and 
crow  have  a  large  credit  in  assisting  to  destroy  both  larvas  and  adults  of 
the  gypsy  and  brown-tailed  moths.  Such  birds  as  feed  on  fruits — 
robins,  catbirds,  cedar  birds  and  others — also  devour  enough  insect  pests 
to  have  the  balance  in  their  favor. 

"Many  birds  are  peculiarly  adapted  to  attend  certain  insects,  and  the 
birds  have  been  very  happily  alluded  to  by  one  writer  as  the  police  of 
the  orchard  and  garden. 

"The  seed-eating  birds,  which  include  the  sparrows  and  finches, 
destroy  weeds  by  the  million.  Three  mourning  doves'  stomachs  con- 
tained by  actual  count  a  total  of  23,100  weed  seeds,  consumed  at  one  meal. 

"All  of  the  thrush  family,  of  which  the  robin  and  bluebird  are  the 
best  known  members,  are  valuable  insect  destroyers.  The  flycatchers, 
headed  by  the  kingbird  and  phoebe,  and  containing  about  eighty  nearly 
related  species,  the  swallows,  martins,  night  hawks  and  chimneyswifts, 
are  policemen  of  the  air. 


20  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

"The  towhee  and  many  sparrows  forage  on  the  ground;  the  nut- 
hatches, woodpeckers  and  brown  creepers  take  care  of  the  trunk  and 
branches;  and  the  warblers  and  vireos  examine  the  leaves  and  buds. 
The  entire  tree  or  shrub  is  thoroughly  guarded.  Out  in  the  open,  the 
meadow  lark,  bobolink,  bobwhite,  prairie  chicken  and  many  others  keep 
tab  on  grasshoppers,  crickets  and  myriads  of  other  insects.  No  insect 
family  escapes;  it  has  an  ardent,  relentless  foe  in  some  bird. 

"Now,  what  is  your  duty  to  your  bird  friends?  Make  your  premises 
attractive.  Furnish  bird  boxes  or  nests ;  feed  the  birds  in  winter ;  exter- 
minate stray  cats;  plant  vines  and  shrubbery  bearing  fruits  agreeable 
to  birds;  help  to  legislate  against  shooting;  train  the  small  boy  to 
respect  and  love  the  birds  and  not  to  collect  birds'  eggs ;  teach  him  also 
to  shoot  with  a  field  or  opera  glass.  If  a  bird  helps  itself  to  a  little  of 
your  fruit,  before  destroying  the  bird  look  up  its  record  and  see  what 
insects  he  preys  upon. 

"Observe  closely  the  birds  at  nesting  time  and  note  the  tireless 
energy  with  which  the  young  birds  eat,  and  then  do  a  little  calculating  by 
multiplying  the  number  of  times  fed  by  the  insects  fed  at  a  meal. 

"Read  literature  on  the  subject  of  bird  conservation.  Result:  Sure 
and  lasting  conversion  to  the  side  of  the  birds. . 

"Scientific  men  look  with  alarm  at  the  rapidly  decreasing  bird  popu- 
lation. The  rapid  increase  of  population,  encroaching  more  and  more 
on  the  nesting  places,  lessens  the  available  woodland  and  prairie  where 
the  birds  may  nest  and  not  be  disturbed. 

"Intelligent  planting  of  shrubbery  and  vines  along  roadsides,  as  is 
contemplated  by  the  Lincoln  Highway  movement,  will  in  part  overcome 
this  condition. 

"Concerted  efforts  by  states  and  at  Washington  for  better  bird  pro- 
tection, the  education  of  all  classes  as  to  the  beneficial  part  the  bird  has 
in  our  daily  life,  vigorous  prosecution  for  violation  of  our  present  game 
laws,  the  taxing  of  cats,  the  encouragement  of  organizations  for  bird 
study — all  these  are  necessary  and  important  features  of  the  growing 
intelligent  effort  for  bird  conservation. 

"See  that  some  one  attends  to  the  purchasing  of  good  bird  books  for 
your  public  library;  offer  prizes  to  your  children  for  best  observations 
or  well  written  papers  about  birds,  their  habits  and  usefulness — these 
papers,  or  the  best  of  them,  to  be  published  in  your  local  paper. 

"There  is  no  reason  why,  in  this  tremendous  State,  a  powerful  and 
concerted  effort  should  not  be  made  for  bird  conservation  and  protection 
which  would  place  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  first  rank  in  the  Union 
for  such  work. 

"Nowhere  in  the  entire  United  States  is  there  a  greater  and  more 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  21 

interesting  bird'  migration,  both  spring  and  fall,  than  in  this  State. 
The  State's  length  gives  it  a  wonderfully  interesting  plant  life  and 
variety  of  climate.  This,  in  part,  explains  its  variety  of  bird  life. 

"A  very  small  sum  as  an  individual  contribution,  if  given  by  enough 
people,  would  maintain  a  paid  expert  whose  duty  might  be  that  of  State 
ornithologist. 

"There  is  a  man  in  Massachusetts  who  gives  his  entire  time  and 
energy  to  this  very  important  work,  and  whose  book,  'Useful  Birds  and 
Their  Protection,'  is  the  last  word  in  bird  conservation." 

CEHEALS  SUPPLANT  FRUITS 

The  friable  soil  and  the  equable  climate  of  Champaign  County  are 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  fruits,  and  its  horticultural  society  has  been 
maintained  for  many  years.  Despite  the  advantages  of  soil  and  cli- 
mate and  the  best  efforts  of  the  birds,  however,  the  insect  pest  has  been 
most  aggressive  of  late  years,  and  the  cereals  have  almost  superseded 
the  fruits.  In  early  times  that  great  drawback  was  little  known  in 
the  county  or  the  State,  and  before  the  year  1853  the  planting  of 
orchards  in  the  county  had  become  quite  common.  Apples  were  the 
favorite  fruit  and  the  Milam  the  favorite  variety.  Peaches  were  also 
abundantly  grown,  while  the  smaller  fruits  flourished  in  their  wild  state. 
Thickets  of  plums  grew  along  the  margins  of  the  timber  belts  and  in 
some  of  the  groves,  and  wild  blackberries  and  strawberries  in  the  denser 
woods.  But  these  conditions  are  now  almost  things  of  the  past,  although 
there  still  remain  striking  evidences  of  what  may  be  done  in  horticul- 
ture with  extreme  care  and  large  means  in  the  wonderful  Dunlap 
orchards  at  Savoy.  As  early  as  1858  M.  L.  Dunlap  settled  at  Eural 
Home,  planted  his  first  orchards,  set  out  his  nurseries  and  protected 
all  by  belts  of  forest  trees,  and  now  sends  out  his  luscious  apples  by 
the  ton,  and  resides  in  a  country  palace  which  is  world-famed.  But  his 
is  the  notable  exception  to  the  general  rule  that  other  branches  of 
agriculture  have  supplanted  horticulture  in  Champaign  County. 

HISTORY  OF  HORTICULTURE  IN  THE  COUNTY 

In  1870  the  most  complete  account  of  the  development  of  the  horti- 
cultural interests  of  the  county  was  written  by  H.  J.  Dunlap,  now  of 
Kankakee,  Illinois,  but  for  many  years  secretary  of  the  County  Agricul- 
tural, Horticultural  and  Mechanical  Association.  It  is  as  follows: 

"The  first  orchard  planting  of  which  I  have  been  able  to  obtain 
any  information  was  done  about  the  year  1838  by  William  Sadorus,  in 


22  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

the  timber  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county,  now  called  Sadorus' 
Grove.  It  was  made  of  fifty  Milam  sprouts  obtained  near  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  eighty  miles  distant,  and  afterwards  extended  by  planting  150 
more  of  the  same  sort.  These  trees  commenced  to  bear  in  1842,  four 
years  after  planting,  and  continued  to  produce  large  annual  crops  until 
1854  or  1855,  since  which  time  there  have  been  several  failures,  and 
many  of  these  trees  are  now  dead  or  dying.  Several  years  after  the 
orchard  was  planted  some  of  the  trees  were  grafted  over  to  Vandevere 
Pippin,  Yellow  Bellflower,  Roxbury  Russet,  etc.  Some  of  these  varie- 
ties have  very  good  quality.  The  Roxbury  Russet  does  not  bear  large 
crops,  and  is  not  a  very  good  keeper.  This  orchard  is  in  a  cove  in  the 
timber,  protected  on  the  south,  west  and  north.  Mr.  Sadorus  is  still 
living,  and  takes  quite  an  interest  in  horticulture. 

"Many  other  orchards  were  set  out  in  this  neighborhood  from  the 
sprouts  produced  from  these  Milams.  The  only  valuable  apple  that  was 
planted  seems  to  have  been  the  Milam. 

"Several  years  after  Mr.  Sadorus'  planting,  orchards  were  set  at  or 
near  Big  Grove,  near  Urbana,  by  James  T.  Roe,  Robert  Brownfield, 
— —  Fielding,  Martin  Rhinehart,  James  Clemens,  William  Robert  and 
others.  James  T.  Roe  had  a  small  nursery  which  consisted  principally 
of  Milams.  Mr.  Brownfield  procured  100  trees  from  Kentucky,  most 
Milam,  Winter  Wine  and  Yellow  Bellflower,  which  continue  healthy 
and  bear  good  crops. 

"Martin  Rhinehart's  orchard  consisted  of  Bellflowers,  Vandevere 
Pippin,  Seek-no-farther,  Winter  Wine,  Fall  Pippin,  Pound  Sweet  and 
Pumpkin  Sweet.  Mr.  Brownfield  now  owns  this  orchard,  also  the 
one  of  100  trees  originally  planted  by  him.  Four  years  ago  the  first 
100  trees  yielded  400  bushels.  This  season  both  orchards  had  only  600 
bushels.  There  had  been  no  insects  to  diminish  the  yield  of  fruit  until 
two  years  ago,  when  the  coddling  moth  first  made  its  appearance  in 
numbers  sufficient  to  destroy  nearly  the  entire  crop.  Mr.  Brownfield 
turned  in  his  hogs  to  eat  the  fallen  fruit,  and  thinks,  had  they  been 
kept  in  it  all  the  season,  that  he  would  have  headed  the  moth,  but  as 
soon  as  the  fruit  was  large  enough  to  sell  the  hogs  were  removed.  The 
fruit  was  not  picked  up  every  day,  so  that  a  sufficient  number  of  worms 
escaped  to  injure  the  past  season's  crop,  but  not  to  as  great  an  extent  as 
the  preceding  one. 

"Josh  Trickle  planted  twelve  seedling  trees  at  an  early  day,  some 
of  which  are  now  dead,  others  remaining  thrifty  and  fruitful. 

"Mr.  Brownfield  thinks  the  Green  Winter  Pippin  his  most  valuable 
winter  apple.  The  Rawles'  Janet  is  one  of  the  best  keepers.  Large 
Romanite  was  also  planted  quite  extensively  by  the  early  settlers.  The 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  23 

principal  varieties  brought  to  market  from  the  old  orchards  are  Milam, 
Pennock,  Vandevere  Pippin,  Yellow  Bellflower,  Eawles'  Janet  and 
Winesap. 

"It  is  almost  impossible  to  find  a  good  eating  apple  in  either  Cham- 
paign or  Urbana  during  fall  or  early  winter  except  Milams;  but  Snow, 
Eambo,  Porter  and  some  others  of  the  newer  varieties  begin  to  make 
their  appearance  from  the  later  planted  orchards.  Of  these  there  are 
quite  a  large  number  commencing  to  bear.  Prominent  among  these 
are  the  orchards  of  M.  L.  and  M.  Dunlap,  J.  B.  Phinney,  C.  F.  Colum- 
bia, E.  Allen  and  others. 

"Until  1856  there  had  been  no  established  nursery  in  the  county, 
but  several  parties  had  kept  small  stocks  sent  from  abroad  to  be  sold 
here.  Nearly  all  the  trees  prior  to  that  time  came  from  the  Eochester 
nurseries,  and  were  mostly  Baldwins,  Northern  Spys,  Eussets,  Green- 
ings, etc.,  nearly  all  of  which  are  valueless  on  the  prairie,  although 
isolated  instances  occur  where  individual  trees  of  these  varieties,  from 
some  local  cause,  have  done  well. 

"The  Messrs.  Curtis  of  Paris,  Edgar  County,  L.  Ellsworth  &  Co.  of 
Naperville,  DuPage  County,  and  other  Western  nurserymen,  furnished 
more  or  less  trees.  To  their  credit  be  it  said  more  of  them  are  better 
adapted  to  our  climate  and  soil  than  those  brought  from  the  East.  I 
suspect  this  to  be  more  the  result  of  accident  than  design,  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  ago  the  subject  of  what  varieties  were  best  adapted  to  the 
West  was  but  little  understood,  owing  to  the  limited  experience  of  the 
orchardists  in  the  West.  Now  the  thing  is  different,  and  there  is  no 
valid  excuse  for  a  man  to  plant  trees  that  are  not  hardy,  productive  and 
valuable. 

"In  April,  1856,  M.  L.  Dunlap  established  the  first  nursery  for 
growing  and  selling  trees,  commencing  by  planting  120,000  grafts, 
comprising  nearly  150  varieties.  Owing  to  the  extreme  dryness  of  the 
season,  nearly  all  the  grafts  failed  to  grow.  Doubtless  this  was  a  bless- 
ing to  the  future  purchasers  of  these  trees,  had  they  lived  and  grown, 
for  in  this  list  of  varieties  were  nearly  100  that  are  unsuitable  for 
Western  orchards;  but  at  that  time  they  were  untried,  and,  therefore, 
it  was  not  possible  to  know  their  value.  The  writer  has  often  sold 
100  trees  for  an  orchard  in  which  were  from  sixty  to  seventy  varieties, 
the  purchaser  wanting  as  many  varieties  as  possible.  Now  the  desire 
of  most  planters  has  been  narrowed  down  to  ten  or  fifteen  well-known 
sorts,  and  a  disposition  manifested  to  let  some  one  else  experiment. 

"Mr.  Dunlap,  intending  to  make  fruit-growing  a  part  of  his  busi- 
ness, planted  an  orchard  of  1,500  trees,  500  of  these  being  seedling,  into 
which  it  was  the  intention  to  top-graft  new  and  untried  varieties.  Some 


SAMPLES  OF  HOME-GBOWN  CORN 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  25 

of  these  have  been  grafted,  others  still  remain.  The  first  orchard  was 
more  of  an  experimental  one  than  anything  else,  many  varieties  being 
then  planted  that  the  proprietor  would  not  now  allow  to  be  set  on  his 
grounds,  while  others,  new  and  untried,  have  proved  valuable. 

"Other  nurseries  soon  sprung  up,  and  tree  planting  was  stimulated 
to  a  great  extent;  and  had  all  the  trees  lived  that  have  been  planted  in 
the  county  we  should  now  be  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  fruit ;  but, 
as  is  usual  (so  far  as  my  observation  goes),  not  one  in  ten  has  even 
brought  forth  fruit. 

"In  the  early  planting  of  fruit  trees,  I  have  been  unable  to  find 
that  any  pears,  quinces,  cherries  or  plums  were  planted,  except  the 
common  Morello  cherry;  but  of  late  years  they  have  been  extensively 
set  out.  The  first  cherry  trees  sold  were,  of  course,  from  Rochester,  and 
consisted  of  many  thousands.  I  doubt  if  one  tree  ever  bore  a  full  crop, 
or  else  did  it  once  and  died.  The  principal  variety  now  planted  is  the 
Early  May  (Richmond),  of  which  hundreds  of  bushels  are  sent  to  the 
Chicago  market  from  this  station  annually. 

"Pear  culture  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  but  there  is  no  good  reason  why 
it  should  not  be  as  successful  here  as  elsewhere.  In  the  spring  of  1865 
the  writer  planted  the  first  acre  of  strawberries  in  the  county  for  market. 
The  next  season  Mr.  G.  M.  Rice  set  out  five  acres,  Platt,  Fuller  & 
Earle  twenty,  G.  D.  Wicks  three  and  several  other  parties  smaller  quan- 
tities. From  that  beginning  of  one  acre  five  years  ago  has  sprung  up 
a  large  trade  in  this  fruit,  several  thousand  bushels  being  shipped  from 
the  country  every  season. 

"In  raising  other  small  fruits  not  much  is  done,  although  the  culture 
of  raspberries,  blackberries  and  grapes  is  extending,  so  that  in  two  or 
three  years  the  products  from  the  present  plantations  will  begin  to  make 
a  perceptible  impression  on  the  markets. 

"In  my  conversations  with  the  old  settlers  I  have  often  inquired  .if 
seedling  appear  to  retain  their  vigor  longer  than  grafted  varieties,  and 
have  been  told  that  out  of  a  given  number  of  trees  by  far  the  largest 
number  of  seedling  give  up  the  ghost  first. 

"It  also  appears  strange  that  there  should  not  be  some  old  pear 
trees,  but  I  can  not  hear  of  one  more  than  twenty  years  old. 

"The  first  May  cherries  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge  were  planted 
fourteen  years  ago.  They  were  on  Mazzard,  Mahaleb  and  Morello  stocks. 
Those  on  Mazzard  are  years  since  dead  and  forgotten;  some  of  the 
Morellos  are  still  alive  and  bear  good  crops,  although  the  annual 
cuttings  they  received  in  their  early  days  when  scions  were  scarce  have 
sadly  marred  their  beauty  and  thrifty  look. 

"Peaches  were  extensively  grown,  while  the  county  was  new   and 


26  HISTOBY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

before  railroads  brought  in  the  curculio;  but  the  winters  of  1855-56 
destroyed  many  trees,  since  which  time,  owing  to  the  unfavorable  sea- 
sons and  curculio,  not  enough  of  this  fruit  has  been  raised  for  home 
use." 

In  1877,  or  seven  years  after  Mr.  Dunlap's  article  was  written, 
another  authority  in  the  county  reviewed  the  horticultural  situation 
which  at  that  time  was  quite  bright.  He  said :  "We  cannot  close  this 
article  without  at  least  a  glance  at  the  horticultural  progress  made 
during  the  past  twenty  years.  Then  there  was  not  sufficient  fruit  grown 
in  the  county  for  home  use.  Great  numbers  of  wagons  came  from  the 
Wabash  country  every  fall,  laden  with  apples,  mostly  Milams,  Vandi- 
vere  Pippins  and  Pennsylvania  Eedstreaks.  Now  one  seldom  sees  a 
specimen  of  either  of  the  above-named,  their  places  having  been  filled 
with  varieties  of  Eastern  and  Northern  origin.  There  are  now  thousands 
of  barrels  of  apples  and  carloads  of  small  fruit  shipped  from  this  county 
every  year,  and  this  industry  may  be  said  to  rank  next  to  wheat  in  its 
importance  and  value.  In  selecting  a  site  for  an  orchard  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  all  dry  ground.  Underdraining  in  an  orchard  is  so  much 
money  thrown  away.  In  two  or  three  years  the  tree  roots  will  fill  the 
largest  tile  and  entirely  obstruct  the  flow  of  water.  We  should  prefer 
to  have  a  belt  of  some  forest-trees  on  the  south,  west  and  north  sides  of 
an  orchard,  in  order  to  break  the  force  of  the  wind.  A  good  hedge  is 
also  almost  indispensable. 

"For  varieties  for  home  use,  where  early  bearing  is  required,  we 
would  recommend  for  summer,  Eed  Astracan,  Bed  June,  Sweet  Bough 
and  Benoni;  for  autumn,  Snow,  Stanard,  Eambo,  Lowell  and  American 
Pearmain,  which  is  not  an  early  bearer,  but  is  one  of  the  most  delicious 
apples  on  the  list.  For  winter,  Jonathan,  Smith's  Cider,  Minkler, 
Wagoner,  Ben  Davis,  Winesap,  Eawles'  Janet  and  Willow  Twig. 

"For  market  purposes  we  should  plant  not  to  exceed  four  varieties 
and  they  of  winter  fruit,  viz. :  Ben  Davis,  Winesap,  Eawles'  Janet  and 
Willow  Twig. 

"There  are  a  great  many  other  good  varieties,  much  better  in  quality 
than  those  named,  but  all  possess  some  defect. 

"Of  pears,  peaches,  plums,  cherries,  etc.,  the  nurserymen  keep  an 
assortment  of  well-known  varieties,  all  of  which  are  more  or  less  profit- 
able." 

AGRICULTURAL  AND  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETIES 

Since  the  early  '50s  Champaign  County  has  strongly  supported  every 
organization  and  interest  which  tended  to  develop  its  great  agricultural 
resources  and  the  abilities  and  enterprise  of  its  farmers  and  horticul- 


CLEANLY  LIFE  OF  MODERN  SWINE  (CONCRETE  WALLOWS) 


28  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

turists.  From  the  first  there  was  a  deep  realization  of  the  desirability 
of  cooperation  and  education  along  these  lines,  both  as  a  guarantee  of 
future  growth  and  a  safeguard  for  continuous  livelihood  and  prosperity. 
The  result  was  that  even  during  the  early  '50s,  when  Prof.  Jonathan  B. 
Turner  of  Jacksonville  and  others  were  urging  the  establishment  of  a 
State  university,  its  basic  idea  was  recognized  as  the  encouragement  of 
the  broad  and  intelligent  development  of  agriculture,  and  the  farmers' 
clubs  were  solidly  behind  the  movement.  Some  fifteen  years  afterward, 
when  the  Illinois  Industrial  University  was  incorporated  and  located 
at  Urbana,  that  object  was  still  uppermost.  The  president  of  the  State 
Agricultural  Society  was  perhaps  its  most  influential  trustee,  and  of  its 
departments  the  agricultural  was  first  in  its  publications. 

AGRICULTURAL,  HORTICULTURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  ASSOCIATION 

The  oldest  of  these  organizations  in  this  section  was  the  Champaign 
County  Agricultural,  Horticultural  and  Mechanical  Association,  which 
was  organized  in  1870.  Its  constitution,  as  adopted  October  8  of  that 
year,  reads  thus: 

Article  I.  The  name  of  this  association  shall  be  "The  Champaign 
County  Agricultural,  Horticultural  and  Mechanical  Association." 

Art.  II.  The  capital  stock  of  this  association  shall  not  be  less  than 
fifteen  thousand  ($15,000)  dollars,  and  shall  be  divided  into  shares  of 
fifty  ($50)  dollars  each. 

Art.  III.  The  owner  of  one  or  more  shares  shall  be  a  member  of 
the  association,  but  no  member  owning  two  or  more  shares  shall  be 
entitled  to  more  than  two  votes. 

Art.  IV.  The  officers  of  this  association  shall  consist  of  a  president, 
one  vice-president  for  each  township  in  the  county,  secretary,  treasurer 
and  an  executive  committee  made  up  of  seven  (7)  stockholders,  and 
such  others  as  may  be  necessary. 

Art.  V.  The  term  for  which  the  officers  of  the  association  shall  be 
elected  shall  be  one  year  from  the  1st  day  of  January  next  ensuing  after 
their  election. 

Art.  VI.  The  annual  election  of  officers  shall  be  held. each  year 
at  the  October  quarterly  meeting. 

Art.  VII.  At  all  elections  the  holder  of  one  share  shall  be  entitled 
to  one  vote;  the  holder  of  two  or  more  shares  to  two  votes. 

Art.  VIII.  This  association  shall  have  a  seal,  which  shall  be 
circular  in  form,  and  bear  the  following  superscription  on  its  face : 
"The  Champaign  County  Agricultural,  Horticultural  and  Mechanical 
Association." 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  29 

Art.  IX.  This  Constitution  and  By-Laws  may  be  altered  or  sus- 
pended by  a  majority  vote  of  all  the  capital  stock. 

Art.  X.  Quorum — At  all  meetings  one-third  of  the  stock  taken  shall 
be  represented  to  constitute  a  quorum. 

THE  FARMERS'  CLUB  AND  FAIR  ASSOCIATION 

The  Farmers'  Club  was  also  an  early  organization  which  did  a  good 
work,  and  the  first  farmers'  institute  was  organized  about  1873,  but 
was  a  short-lived  affair.  The  so-called  Fair  Association  had  charge 
of  the  agricultural  and  live  stock  exhibits,  originally  held  in  and  near 
the  courthouse  square.  The  first  regular  fair  grounds  were  four  blocks 
south  of  the  courthouse.  H.  J.  Dunlap,  now  of  Kankakee,  who  was 
prominently  connected  with  these  organizations  in  the  early  days,  says 
that  the  Fair  Association  went  out  of  existence  about  1900,  and  adds: 
"The  first  fair  was  held  in  courthouse  square  in  1852,  the  first  one 
which  I  attended  being  in  1856.  In  a  year  or  so  ground  was  purchased 
for  the  fair  north  of  the  city,  near  the  new  cemetery.  I  think  that  fairs 
were  held  there  until  about  1870  when  the  old  association  disbanded,  and 
a  new  company  purchased  forty  acres  of  what  is  now  known  as  Fair- 
view,  or  then  ground  west  of  the  university." 

After  the  disbandment  of  the  old  Fair  Association,  as  just  stated, 
the  Champaign  County  Fair  and  Driving  Association  was  incorporated 
on  March  3,  1905.  The  former  fair  grounds  in  Champaign  were  sold 
and  platted  into  a  city  addition  known  as  Fairland  Place,  one  of  the 
most  desirable  residence  sections  of  the  city.  The  new  organization 
procured  commodious  grounds  just  north  of  Urbana,  on  which  the 
county  fair  is  held  annually.  The  officers  of  the  association  for  1917 
are :  Fred  Rising,  president ;  H.  D.  Oldham,  secretary ;  Lewis  Prather, 
treasurer. 

CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  FARMERS'  INSTITUTE 

The  present  Champaign  County  Farmers'  Institute  was  organized 
in  January,  1891,  more  than  four  years  before  the  creation  of  the  Illi- 
nois Farmers'  Institute.  The  State  body  came  into  being  through  a 
legislative  Act  approved  June  24,  1895.  The  original  Act,  with  its 
several  amendments,  provides  that  the  body  shall  consist  of  three  dele- 
gates from  each  county  of  the  State,  elected  annually,  and  that  its 
affairs  shall  be  managed  by  a  board  of  directors,  consisting  of  the 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  the  professor  of  agriculture 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  president  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
president  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society  and  president  of  the  State 


30 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


Dairymen's  Association.  Its  superintendent  of  institutes  "shall  devote 
his  entire  time  to  the  organization,  promotion  and  general  super- 
vision of  the  farmers'  institute  work  in  the  State,  under  the  direction 
of  the  board  of  directors  and  the  executive  committee.  He  shall 
organize  a  bureau  of  speakers,  the  same  to  include  farmers,  dairymen, 
horticulturists,  live  stock  breeders,  feeders  anl  others  who  have  adopted 
scientific  and  practical  methods — secured  beneficial  results,  and  are  able 
to  tell  about  them,  together  with  such  instructors  from  the  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Experiment  Station  as  may  be  assigned  to  the  institute 


A  CANNING  CLUB  IN  ACTION 

work  and  whose  allotment  of  time  shall  be  under  his  direction.  These 
speakers  shall  be  assigned  work  as  far  as  possible,  in  accordance  with 
the  wishes  of  the  district  directors,  officers  of  the  Department  of  House- 
hold Science  (where  their  interests  may  appear)  and  the  county  institute 
officers.  He  shall  make  recommendations  as  to  lines  of  work  which  he 
believes  will  prove  profitable  for  the  ensuing  year,  together  with  general 
plans  for  their  execution  and  estimates  of  expense." 

The  State  body  cooperates  closely  with  the  county  farmers'  insti- 
tutes, delegates  being  called  together  for  conference  who  comprise  one 
general  representative  from  each  county  institute  and  one  delegate  from 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


31 


the  Department  of  Household  Science,  when  organized,  as  well  as  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools.  The  purpose  of  these  conferences 
is  to  arrange  the  times  and  places  for  holding  the  next  county  insti- 
tutes and  to  cooperate  in  securing  speakers.  If  the  officers  of  a  county 
farmers'  institute  fail  to  arrange  for  the  holding  of  meetings  as  pro- 
vided for  in  the  act  of  incorporation,  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Illinois  Farmers'  Institute  may  furnish  instructors  for,  and  hold  such 
meetings  as  may  be  beneficial  to  the  agricultural  interest  of  said  county. 
The  sum  of  $75  is  provided  for  the  purpose  of  holding  one  or  more 
annual  meetings  of  the  county  institute,  and  in  1911  the  Legislature 


MODEKN  DUMP  CRIB  AND  FEED  MILL 

passed  an  Act  authorizing  a  county  board  to  appropriate  $300  (no 
more)  "for  use  of  county  farmers'  institutes  in  their  efforts  to  promote 
the  adoption  of  the  latest  approved  methods  of  crop  production,  the 
improvement  of  live  stock,  the  conservation  of  soil  fertility  and  the 
improvement  of  agricultural  conditions  generally." 

The  membership  of  the  farmers'  institute  is  unlimited.  There  are 
no  initiation  or  membership  fees,  and  the  meetings  are  open  to  the 
public  free  of  charge ;  anyone  who  wishes  may  be  present  and  take  part 
in  the  discussions,  in  the  administration  of  the  business  and  in  the 
election  of  its  officers. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  H.  A.  McKeene,  secretary  of  the  UK- 


32  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

nois  Farmers'  Institute,  the  following  information  is  furnished  regarding 
the  Champaign  County  Farmers'  Institute,  comprising,  as  will  be  seen, 
the  time  and  places  of  meeting  of  the  different  institutes,  and  the  years 
of  service  of  its  principal  elective  officers : 

Meetings— January  7-8,  1891,  Champaign;  January  19-20,  1892, 
Homer;  February  4-5-6,  1893,  Eantoul;  February  23-24,  1894,  Fisher; 
January  2-3,  1895,  Champaign;  January  2-3,  1896,  St.  Joseph;  Feb- 
ruary 25-26,  1896,  Urbana;  January  21-22,  1897,  Champaign;  December 
14-15,  1897,  Urbana;  January  18-19,  1899,  Sidney;  January  18-19, 
1900,  Philo;  January  17-18,  1901,  Eantoul;  February  13-14,  1901, 
Tolono;  January  7-8-9,  1902,  Champaign;  February  13-14,  1902, 
Mahomet;  September  23-24,  1902,  Philo;  January  13-14,  1903,  Fisher; 
October  7-8,  1903,  Pesotum;  January  13-14,  1904,  St.  Joseph;  October 
12-13,  1904,  Sadorus;  February  14-15,  1905,  Urbana;  January  16-17, 
1906,  Philo;  October  11-12,  1906,  Tolono;  January  16-17,  1908,  Peso- 
tum; December  10-11,  1908,  Homer;  January  14-15,  1909,  Ludlow; 
December  16-17,  1909,  Fisher;  January  13-14,  1910,  Sidney;  December 
15-16,  1910,  Mahomet;  February  8-9,  1911,  Eantoul;  October  10-11, 
1911,  Sadorus;  December  12-13,  1911,  Ogden;  October  15,  1912,  Sey- 
mour; October  16,  1912,  Tolono;  October  17-18,  1912,  Ivesdale;  October 
14,  1913,  Ludlow;  October  15,  1913,  Gifford;  October  16,  1913,  Foos- 
land;  October  6,  1914,  Pesotum;  October  7,  1914,  Sidney;  October  8, 
1914,  Seymour;  October  9,  1914,  Newcomb;  March  4-5,  1915,  Homer; 
October  5-6,  1915,  South  Eaymond;  October  7-8,  1915,  Newcomb  Cen- 
ter; September  26-27,  1916,  South  Eaymond;  September  28-29,  1916, 
Fisher;  October  3-4,  1916,  St.  Joseph. 

Presidents — C.  Dyer,  Mahomet,  January,  1891-97;  J.  M.  Love, 
Philo,  December,  1897-99;  Isaac  S.  Eaymond,  Philo,  1899-1911;  M.  0. 
Stover,  Mahomet,  1911-13;  W.  B.  O'Neal,  Sadorus,  1914;  Wilson  P. 
Jones,  Champaign,  1914-17. 

Secretaries— Z.  E.  Genung,  Eantoul,  1891-97;  J.  A.  Hossack,  Cham- 
paign, 1897-1914;  J.  Bay  Stanner,  Urbana,  1915-17. 

Treasurers— Z.  E.  Genung,  Eantoul,  1891-97;  M.  A.  Dewey, 
Urbana,  1897-99;  Z.  E.  Genung,  1899-1915;  W.  B.  O'Neal,  Sadorus, 
1915-16;  J.  Bay  Stanner,  Urbana,  1917. 

The  Department  of  Household  Science,  to  which  several  refer- 
ences have  been  made,  was  organized  in  1898  as  a  distinct  division  of 
the  Illinois  Farmers'  Institute  and  the  county  organizations.  Its  objects 
are  well  set  forth  in  the  following  paragraphs  published  in  the  year 
books  of  the  State  body  for  1914  and  1915:  "The  conservation  of  the 
home  is  woman's  chief  business,  and  scientific  home  management  is 
the  only  executive  plan  for  us  to  follow.  Let  us  give  to  the  world  our 


THBESHIKG  SCENE 


STEAM  TRACTOR  IN  ORCIIABD 


1—3 


34:  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

experiences.      History    and   records    of    home-making    are    as    valuable 
to  humanity  and  civilization  as  the  history  of  any  other  phase  of  life." 

"No  community  can  rise  higher  than  the  standard  of  its  homes. 
We  believe  the  home  can  reconstruct  better  than  school,  better  than 
church  and  better  than  state,  but  all  must  stand  together,  for  whatever 
affects  the  home  affects  the  state.  To  interest  women  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  home-making,  their  highest  known  profession,  is  the  object  of 
this  organization." 

Another,  and  perhaps  even  a  more  definite  conception  of  the  scope 
of  the  Department  of  Household  Science,  may  be  gained  by  a  mention 
of  the  titles  of  some  of  the  addresses  presented  and  discussed  at  its 
meetings.  They  follow :  "A  Four  Course  Vegetable  Luncheon ;"  "Com- 
fort and  Beauty  in  the  Home ;"  "Common  Sense  in  Dress ;"  "Cooperation 
in  the  Business  of  the  Home;"  "Foods  for  Health;"  "Millinery;"  "Neigh- 
borhood Cooperation;"  "The  Underaveraged  Child  in  the  Home;"  "The 
Farm  Woman's  Birthright;"  "Home  Canning  of  Fruits  and  Vegeta- 
bles;" "Boys'  and  Girls'  Clubs;"  "Quick  Breads;"  "Salads  and  Sand- 
wiches;" "The  Building  of  a  Country  Home;"  "The  Planning  of 
Meals." 

THE  FAHM  BUREAU 

The  Farm  Bureau,  which  is  doing  work  somewhat  similar  to  that  of 
the  institute,  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  Farmers'  League,  and  was  incor- 
porated in  September,  1913.  Its  annual  expenses  of  over  $5,000  are 
met  by  the  subscriptions  of  its  435  members,  amounting  to  about  $3,000 ; 
a  $1,000  appropriation  from  the  board  of  county  commissioners;  $900 
contributed  by  the  University  of  Illinois  and  $300  by  the  National 
Department  of  Agriculture.  The  subscriptions  are  graduated  according 
to  the  size  of  the  farms,  and  the  active  lecturer  and  adviser,  known  as 
the  "farm  expert,"  is  C.  H.  Oathout.  The  president  of  the  bureau  is 
W.  P.  Jones,  and  the  secretary  James  A.  Hossack,  who  held  the  position 
so  long  with  the  Champaign  County  Farmers'  Institute. 


CHAPTER  II 
HISTORIC  RULE  OF  THE  WHITES 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  FRENCH  THROUGH  GREAT  INTERIOR  WATERWAYS— 
MARQUETTE  AND  JOLIET  ON  ILLINOIS  SOIL — INDIAN  PAINTINGS  ON 
THE  BLUFFS — SLAYING  OF  THE  MONSTER — OUTLINED  IN  DEATH — 
THE  SO-CALLED  "PIASA"  BIRD — THE  RETURN  JOURNEY — UP  THE 
ILLINOIS  RIVER — JOLIET  LOSES  DATA  IN  THE  ST.  LAWRENCE — 
DEATH  OF  MARQUETTE — TRIUMPHS  OF  LA  SALLE — His  BRAVE  LIEU- 
TENANT, TONTI — LA  SALLE  STARTS  FOR  THE  ILLINOIS  COUNTRY— 
TOXTI  JOINS  LA  SALLE  AT  FORT  MIAMI — IN  THE  ILLINOIS  COUNTRY 
—DESERTED  KASKASKIA  VILLAGE  WITH  SUPPLIES — INTERVIEWS  THE 
KASKASKIAS — BUILDS  FORT  CREVECOEUR  BELOW  PEORIA — SENDS 
EXPEDITION  TO  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI — DEPARTS  FOR  FORT  FBONTENAC, 
LEAVING  TONTI  BEHIND — IROQUOIS  RAVAGES  AT  STARVED  ROCK  AND 
FORT  CREVECOEUR — LA  SALLE  ASSASSINATED — DEATH  OF  TONTI — 
PERMANENT  PIONEER  SETTLEMENTS  OF  ILLINOIS — FORT  CHARTRES, 
CENTER  OF  ILLINOIS  DISTRICT— FIRST  LAND  GRANT  IN  DISTRICT — 
PRAIRIE  DU  ROCHER — LIFE  AT  THE  PIONEER  FRENCH-ILLINOIS 
SETTLEMENTS — ILLINOIS  COMES  DIRECTLY  UNDER  ROYAL  CONTROL 
—ILLINOIS  SPIRITUALLY  ASSIGNED  TO  THE  JESUITS — FAILURES 
RESULT  IN  GOOD — FORTUNATE  AND  PROGRESSIVE  ILLINOIS — FRENCH- 
ENGLISH  CONTESTS  FOR  THE  OHIO  VALLEY — FORT  CHARTRES 
REBUILT  BY  THE  FRENCH — ILLINOIS  TRIUMPHS  OVER  VIRGINIA — 
FORT  DUQUESNE  ABANDONED — NEW  FORT  CHARTRES  PASSES  INTO 
BRITISH  HANDS — ST.  Louis  FOUNDED  UNDER  A  MISAPPREHENSION 
—LAST  FRENCH  STRONGHOLD  FALLS — ENGLISH  JUDGES  SIT  AT  FORT 
CHARTRES — PONTIAC  BURIED  AT  ST.  Louis — LAST  OF  FORT  CHARTRES 
—KASKASKIA  TAKEN  BY  AMERICANS  UNDER  CLARK — -BLOODLESS 
CAPTURE  OF  VINCENNES — VIRGINIA  CREATES  COUNTY  OF  ILLINOIS — 
CONDITION  OF  ILLINOIS  WHEN  TODD  ARRIVED — MILITARY  AND  CIVIL 
PERSONNEL — AMERICAN  CIVIL  GOVERNMENT  NORTHWEST  OF  THE 
OHIO — OLD  ST.  CLAIR  COUNTY — THE  COUNTY  DIVIDED — LEGISLA- 
TURE OF  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY — DIVISION  INTO  Two  TERRITORIES — 
ILLINOIS  TERRITORY  CREATED — FIRST  ILLINOIS  PREEMPTION  LAW — 
FIRST  STATE  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION — STATE  MACHINERY  IN 
MOTION — ILLINOIS  BLACK  CODE — ILLINOIS  COUNTIES  IN  1818 — NEW 

35 


36  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

CAPITAL,  VANDALIA — EARLY  PERIOD  OF  WILD-CAT  BANKING — THE 
SLAVERY  ISSUE  (1822-24) — THE  FAMOUS  SANGAMON  COUNTRY- 
FUNDAMENTAL  SCHOOL  LEGISLATION — STATE  BANK  IN  LIQUIDATION 
— SYSTEM  OF  INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS — CAPITAL  MOVED  TO  SPRING- 
FIELD— REMAINS  OF  INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS  SYSTEM — REVISING 
THE  OLD  CONSTITUTION — THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  1848 — BANKING 
LEGISLATION — REAL  WILD-CAT  BANKS — THE  NATIONAL  BANKING 
SYSTEM — THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  1870 — BUILDING  AND  LOAN 
ASSOCIATIONS  AUTHORIZED. 

What  was  the  old  Northwest  Territory,  between  the  Ohio  and  the 
Mississippi  Rivers,  and  what  are  now  the  State  of  Illinois  and  Champaign 
County  remained  under  French  dominion  for  nearly  a  century — from 
the  historic  voyages  of  Marquette  and  Joliet,  in  1672-73,  to  the  sur- 
render of  Fort  Chartres  to  the  English  in  1765.  These  pioneers  of 
French  discovery  revealed  to  the  world  two  great  waterways  from  their 
northern  domain  to  the  portentious  Father  of  Waters,  which  was 
discovered  to  cleave  a  new  continent  in  twain,  instead  of  being  either 
diverted  to  the  South  Seas  or  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Their  ascent  of 
the  Illinois,  on  their  return  voyage,  as  a  shorter  and  easier  route 
between  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Great  River,  was  significant  of  the 
commencement  of  an  era  which  marked  the  trend  of  the  most  wonderful 
development  in  North  America  of  every  material  and  intellectual  force 
which  advances  the  civilization  of  the  white  man  of  the  western 
hemisphere. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  FRENCH  THROUGH  GREAT  INTERIOR  WATERWAYS 

The  grand  march  of  French  exploration  and  discovery  up  the  valley 
of  the  St  Lawrence,  through  Cartier  and  Champlain ;  around  the  fringes 
of  the  upper  Great  Lakes  and  gradually  into  the  outlying  country  by 
the  same  far-seeing,  brave  and  patriotic  Champlain;  the  wonderful 
combination  of  Church  and  State,  which  penetrated  the  wilderness, 
subdued  its  savages  both  by  the  mysteries  of  Catholicism,  gentle  and 
brotherly  offices  and  the  pageantry  of  a  gorgeous  government — all  these 
successive  steps  leading  to  the  voyages  of  Marquette  and  Joliet  which 
drove  the  wedge  into  the  very  center  of  the  American  continent  and 
commenced  to  let  in  the  light  of  the  world,  have  been  so  often  told  that 
they  comprise  the  common  knowledge  of  the  reading  universe. 

MARQUETTE  AND  JOLIET  ON  ILLINOIS  SOIL 
A  landing  on  Illinois  soil  was  effected  on  their  trip   down  the 


HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  37 

Mississippi,  in  June,  1673.  On  the  17th  of  that  month  their  canoes, 
containing  Joliet,  Marquette,  five  French  boatmen,  or  voyageurs,  and 
two  Indian  guides,  shot  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  into  the 
broad  Mississippi.  The  voyagers  were  filled  with  a  joy  unspeakable. 
The  journey  now  began  down  the  stream  without  any  ceremony. 
Marquette  made  accurate  observations  of  the  lay  of  the  land,  the  vege- 
tation and  the  animals.  Among  the  animals  he  mentions  are  deer, 
moose,  and  all  sorts  of  fish,  turkeys,  wild  cattle,  and  small  game. 

Somewhere,  probably  below  Eock  Island,  the  voyagers  discovered 
footprints  and  they  knew  that  the  Illinois  were  not  far  away.  Marquette 
and  Joliet  left  their  boats  in  the  keeping  of  the  five  FrercLrncn  and 
after  prayers  they  departed  into  the  interior,  following  the  tracks  of 
the  Indians.  They  soon  came  to  an  Indian  village.  The  chiefs  received 
the  two  whites  with  very  great  ceremony.  The  peace  pipe  was  smoked 
and  Joliet,  who  was  trained  in  all  the  Indian  languages,  told  them  of 
the  purpose  of  their  visit  to  this  Illinois  country.  A  chief  responded 
and  after  giving  the  two  whites  some  presents  among  which  were  a 
calumet  and  an  Indian  slave  boy,  the  chief  warned  them  not  to  go 
further  down  the  river  for  great  dangers  awaited  them.  Marquette 
replied  that  they  did  not  fear  death  and  nothing  would  please  them 
more  than  to  lose  their  lives  in  God's  service. 

After  promising  the  Indians  they  would  come  again,  they  retired 
to  their  boats,  accompanied  by  six  hundred  warriors  from  the  village. 
They  departed  from  these  Indians  about  the  last  of  June  and  were  soon 
on  their  journey  down  the  river. 

INDIAN  PAINTINGS  ON  THE  BLUFFS 

As  they  moved  southward  the  bluffs  became  quite  a  marked  feature 
of  the  general  landscape.  After  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  Eiver, 
they  came  to  unusually  high  bluffs  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  Mississippi. 
At  a  point  about  six  miles  above  the  present  city  of  Alton,  they  dis- 
covered on  the  high  smooth-faced  bluffs  a  very  strange  object,  which 
Marquette  describes  as  follows :  "As  we  coasted  along  the  rocks,  frightful 
for  their  height  and  length,  we  saw  two  monsters  painted  on  these  rocks, 
which  startled  us  at  first,  and  on  which  the  boldest  Indian  dare  not 
gaze  long.  They  are  as  large  as  a  calf,  with  horns  on  the  head  like 
a  deer,  a  frightful  look,  red  eyes,  bearded  like  a  tiger,  the  face  somewhat 
like  a  man's,  the  body  covered  with  scales  and  the  tail  so  long  that  it  twice 
makes  the  turn  of  the  body,  passing  over  the  head  and  down  between 
the  legs,  and  ending  at  last  in  a  fish's  tail.  Green,  red,  and  a  kind  of 
black  are  the  colors  employed.  On  the  whole,  these  two  monsters  are 


38  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUXTY 

so  well  painted  that  we  could  not  believe  any  Indian  to  have  been  the 
designer,  as  good  painters  in  France  would  find  it  hard  to  do  as  well; 
besides  this,  they  are  so  high  upon  the  rock  that  it  is  hard  to  get 
conveniently  at  them  to  paint  them." 

SLATING  OF  THE  MONSTER 

In  an  early  day  in  Illinois,  the  description  of  these  monsters  was 
quite  current  in  the  western  part  of  the  state.  So  also  was  a  tradition 
that  these  monsters  actually  inhabited  a  great  cave  near.  It  described, 
however,  but  a  single  monster  and  but  a  single  picture.  The  tradition 
said  that  this  monster  was  a  hideous  creature  with  wings,  and  great 
claws,  and  great  teeth.  It  was  accustomed  to  devour  every  living  thing 
which  came  within  its  reach;  men,  women,  and  children,  and  animals 
of  all  kinds.  The  Indians  had  suffered  great  loss  of  their  people  from 
its  ravages  and  a  council  of  war  was  held  to  devise  some  means  by  which 
its  career  might  be  ended.  Among  other  schemes  for  its  extermination 
was  a  proposition  by  a  certain  young  warrior  to  the  effect  that,  upon 
the  departure  of  the  beast  on  one  of  his  long  flights  for  food,  he  would 
volunteer  to  be  securely  tied  to  stakes  on  the  ledge  in  front  of  the 
mouth  of  the  cave,  and  that  a  sufficient  number  of  other  warriors  of 
the  tribe  should  be  stationed  near  with  their  poisoned  arrows  so  that 
when  the  bird  should  return  from  its  flight  they  might  slay  it. 

This  proposition  was  accepted  and  on  a  certain  day  the  bird  took 
its  accustomed  flight.  The  young  warrior  who  offered  to  sacrifice  his 
life  was  securely  bound  to  strong  stakes  in  front  of  the  mouth  of  the 
cave.  The  warriors  who  were  to  slay  the  beast  were  all  safely  hidden 
in  the  rocks  and  debris  near.  In  the  afternoon  the  monster  was  seen 
returning  from  its  long  journey.  Upon  lighting  near  its  cave,  it 
discovered  the  young  warrior  and  immediately  attacked  him,  fastening 
its  claws  and  teeth  in  his  body.  The  thongs  held  him  securely  and  the 
more  it  strove  to  escape  with  its  prey  the  more  its  claws  became 
entangled  in  the  thongs. 

At  a  concerted  moment  the  warriors  all  about  opened  upon  the 
monster  with  their  poisoned  arrows,  and  before  the  beast  could  extricate 
itself,  its  life  blood  was  ebbing  away.  Its  death  had  been  compassed. 

OUTLINED  IN  DEATH 

The  warriors  took  the  body  and,  stretching  it  out  so  as  to  get  a  good 
picture  of  it,  marked  the  form  and  painted  it  as  it  was  seen  by  Marquette. 
Because  the  tribes  of  Indians  had  suffered  such  destruction  of  life  by 


HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  39 

this  monster,  an  edict  went  forth  that  every  warrior  who  went  by  this 
bluff  should  discharge  at  least  one  arrow  at  the  painting.  This  the 
Indians  continued  religiously  to  do.  In  later  years  when  guns  displaced 
arrows  among  the  Indians,  they  continued  to  shoot  at  the  painting  as  they 
passed  and  thus  it  is  said  the  face  of  the  painting  was  greatly  marred. 

THE  SO-CALLED  "PLASA"  BIRD 

Judge  Joseph  Gillespie,  of  Edwardsville,  Illinois,  a  prolific  writer 
and  a  man  of  unimpeachable  character  wrote  in  1883  as  follows :  "I  saw 
what  was  called  the  picture  sixty  years  since,  long  before  it  was  marred 
by  quarrymen  or  the  tooth  of  time,  and  I  never  saw  anything  which 
would  have  impressed  my  mind  that  it  was  intended  to  represent  a  bird. 
I  saw  daubs  of  coloring  matter  that  I  supposed  exuded  from  the  rocks 
that  might,  to  very  impressible  people,  bear  some  resemblance  to  a  bird 
or  a  dragon,  after  they  were  told  to  look  at  it  in  that  light,  just  as  we 
fancy  in  certain  arrangements  of  the  stars  we  see  animals,  etc.,  in  the 
constellations.  I  did  see  the  marks  of  the  bullets  shot  by  the  Indians 
against  the  rocks  in  the  vicinity  of  the  so-called  picture.  Their  object 
in  shooting  at  this  I  never  could  comprehend.  I  do  not  think  the  story 
had  its  origin  among  the  Indians  or  was  one  of  their  superstitions,  but 
was  introduced  to  the  literary  world  by  John  Russell,  of  Bluff  Dale, 
Illinois,  who  wrote  a  beautiful  story  about  it." 

The  bluff  has  long  since  disappeared  through  the  use  of  the  stone 
for  building  purposes. 

•  As  Marquette  and  Joliet  proceeded  down  the  river  they  passed  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  which  at  that  time  was  probably  subject  to  a 
great  flood.  When  considerably  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  River 
they  came  to  a  very  noted  object — at  least  the  Indians  had  many  stories 
about  it.  This  is  what  is  known  today  as  the  Grand  Tower.  This  great 
rock  in  the  Mississippi  causes  a  great  commotion  in  the  water  of  the 
river  and  probably  was  destructive  of  canoes  in  those  days. 

On  they  went  down  the  river  past  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  into  the 
region  of  semi-tropical  sun  and  vegetation.  The  cane-brakes  lined  the 
banks,  and  the  mosquitoes  became  plentiful  and  very  annoying.  Here 
also,  probably  in  the  region  of  Memphis,  they  stopped  and  held  councils 
with  the  Indians.  They  found  the  Indians  using  guns,  axes,  hoes,  knives, 
beads,  etc.,  and  when  questioned  as  to  where  they  got  these  articles,  they 
said  to  the  eastward.  These  Indians  told  the  travelers  that  it  was  not 
more  than  ten  days'  travel  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  They  proceeded 
on  down  the  river  till  they  reached  Choctaw  Bend,  in  latitude  33  degrees 
and  40  minutes.  Here  they  stopped,  held  a  conference,  and  decided  to 
go  no  further. 


40  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

THE  RETURN  JOURNEY 

They  justified  their  return  in  the  following  manner:  First,  they 
were  satisfied  that  the  Mississippi  emptied  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and 
not  into  the  Gulf  of  California,  nor  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  Virginia. 
Second,  they  feared  a  conflict  with  the  Spaniards,  who  occupied  and 
claimed  the  Gulf  coast.  Third,  they  feared  the  Indians  of  the  lower 
Mississippi,  for  they  used  firearms  and  might  oppose  their  further  prog- 
ress south.  Fourth,  they  had  acquired  all  the  information  they  started 
out  to  obtain. 

UP  THE  ILLINOIS  RIVEB 

And  so,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1674,  they  turned  their  faces  homeward. 
They  had  been  just  two  months,  from  May  17th  to  July  17th,  on  their 
journey.  They  had  traveled  more  than  a  thousand  miles.  They  had 
faced  all  forms  of  danger  and  had  undergone  all  manner  of  hardships. 
Their  provisions  had  been  obtained  en  route.  France  owes  them  a  debt 
of  gratitude  which  will  never  be  fully  paid.  Indeed  not  only  France, 
but  the  world  is  their  debtor. 

Nothing  of  interest  occurred  on  their  return  journey  until  they 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  Eiver.  Here  they  were  told  by  some 
Indians  that  there  was  a  much  shorter  route  to  Green  Bay  than  by  way 
of  the  upper  Mississippi  and  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox  portage.  This 
shorter  route  was  up  the  Illinois  Eiver  to  the  Chicago  portage  and  thence 
along  Lake  Michigan  to  Green  Bay. 

Marquette  and  Joliet  proceeded  up  the  Illinois  Eiver.  When  passing 
by  Peoria  Lake  they  halted  for  three  days.  While  here  Marquette 
preached  the  gospel  to  the  natives.  Just  as  Marquette  was  leaving  they 
brought  him  a  dying  child  which  he  baptized.  When  in  the  vicinity 
of  Ottawa,  they  came  to  a  village  of  the  Kaskaskia  Indians.  Marquette 
says  there  were  seventy-four  cabins  in  the  village  and  that  the  Indians 
received  them  kindly.  They  tarried  but  a  short  time  and  were  escorted 
from  this  point  up  the  Illinois  and  over  the  Chicago  portage  by  one  of 
the  Kaskaskia  chiefs  and  several  young  warriors. 

JOLIET  LOSES  DATA  IN  THE  ST.  LAWRENCE 

While  in  the  village  of  the  Kaskaskias,  Marquette  told  the  story  of 
the  Cross  to  the  natives,  and  they  were  so  well  pleased  with  it  that  they 
made  him  promise  to  return  to  teach  them  more  about  Jesus.  Marquette 
and  Joliet  reached  Green  Bay  in  the  month  of  September,  1673.  Prob- 
ably they  both  remained  here  during  the  ensuing  winter.  In  the  summer 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  41 

of  1674,  Joliet  returned  to  Quebec  to  make  his  report  to  the  governor. 
On  his  way  down  the  St.  Lawrence,  his  boat  upset  and  he  came  near 
losing  his  life.  He  lost  all  his  maps,  papers,  etc.,  and  was  obliged  to 
make  a  verbal  report  to  the  governor. 

DEATH  OF  MARQUETTE 

Father  Marquette  remained  in  the  mission  of  St.  Francois  Xavier 
through  the  summer  of  1674,  and  late  in  the  fall  started  on  his  journey 
back  to  Kaskaskia.  The  escort  consisted  of  two  Frenchmen  and  some 
Indians.  They  reached  the  Chicago  portage  in  the  midst  of  discouraging 
circumstances.  The  weather  was  severe  and  Father  Marquette,  sick  unto 
death,  was  unable  to  proceed  further.  On  the  banks  of  the  Chicago  River 
they  built  some  huts  and  here  the  party  remained  till  spring.  During 
the  winter  Father  Marquette  did  not  suffer  for  want  of  attention,  for 
he  was  visited  by  a  number  of  Indians  and  by  at  least  two  prominent 
Frenchmen. 

By  the  last  of  March  he  was  able  to  travel.  He  reached  the  Kaskaskia 
village  Monday,  April  8,  1675.  He  was  received  with  great  joy  by  the 
Indians.  He  established  the  mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  Seeing  he  could  not  possibly  live  long,  he  returned 
to  St.  Ignace  by  way  of  the  Kankakee  portage.  He  never  lived  to  reach 
Mackinaw.  He  died  the  18th  of  May,  1675. 

This  expedition  by  Marquette  and  Joliet  had  carried  the  lilies  of 
France  nearly  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Indians  in  the  great  plains 
between  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Gulf  had  been  visited  and  the  resources 
of  the  country  noted.  There  remained  but  a  slight  strip  of  territory 
over  which  the  banner  of  France  had  not  floated,  from  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  If  this  short  distance  were  explored, 
then  the  French  government  would  have  completely  surrounded  the 
English  colonies  in  North  America. 

THE  TRIUMPHS  OF  LA  SALLE 

Chevalier  de  La  Salle  came  to  America  in  the  year  1667.  Shortly 
after  arriving  in  this  country  he  established  himself  as  a  fur  trader  at 
a  trading  post  called  La  Chine,  on  the  Island  of  Montreal.  Here  he 
came  in  contact  with  the  Indians  from  the  far  west.  Within  two  years 
he  had  departed  on  an  exploration.  For  the  next  two  or  three  years 
he  had  probably  visited  the  Ohio  Eiver  and  had  become  quite  familiar 
with  the  country  to  the  south  and  west  of  the  Great  Lakes. 

Count  Frontenac  built  a  fort  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  where 


42  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

the  lake  sends  its  waters  into  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  La  Salle  was 
put  in  charge  of  this  fort.  He  named  it  Fort  Frontenac.  The  purpose 
of  this  fort  was  to  control  the  fur  trade,  especially  that  from  up  the 
Ottawa,  and  prevent  it  from  going  to  New  York.  In  1674  La  Salle 
went  to  France  and  while  there  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  noble.  The 
king  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  plans  of  La  Salle  and  readily  granted 
him  the  seigniory  of  Fort  Frontenac,  together  with  a  large  quantity  of 
land.  For  all  this  La  Salle  promised  to  keep  the  fort  in  repair,  to 
maintain  a  garrison  equal  to  that  of  Montreal,  to  clear  the  land,  put 
it  in  a  state  of  cultivation,  and  continually  to  keep  arms,  ammunition, 
and  artillery  in  the  fort.  He  further  agreed  to  pay  Count  Frontenac 
for  the  erection  of  the  fort,  to  build  a  church,  attract  Indians,  make 
grants  of  land  to  settlers,  and  to  do  all  for  the  ultimate  purpose  of 
furthering  the  interest  of  the  French  government. 

La  Salle  returned  from  France  and  was  perhaps  at  Fort  Frontenac 
when  Joliet  passed  down  the  lakes  in  the  summer  of  1674.  The  next 
year  he  began  the  improvement  of  his  fort.  For  two  years  he  prosecuted 
a  thriving  trade  with  the  Indians  and  also  engaged  in  farming,  ship- 
building, cattle-raising,  and  study. 

The  fall  of  1678  found  him  in  France  with  a  request  that  the  king 
grant  him  permission  to  explore  the  western  part  of  New  France  and 
if  possible  find  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River.  La  Salle  had  matured 
plans  by  which  New  France  was  to  be  connected  with  the  western 
country  by  a  line  of  strong  fortifications.  Fort  Frontenac  was  the  first 
step  in  this  plan.  He  there  explained  how  easy  it  would  be  to  reach 
the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes  by  the  St.  Lawrence  route  or  by  the 
Mississippi.  There  is  no  doubt  that  both  Frontenac  and  La  Salle 
wished  to  transfer  the  emphasis  from  the  converting  of  the  Indians  to 
that  of  the  conquest  of  territory  for  France,  and  to  the  more  profitable 
business,  as  they  saw  it,  of  commerce.  Frontenac  had  therefore  strongly 
endorsed  La  Salle  and  his  plans.  Through  Colbert  and  his  son,  La  Salle 
succeeded  in  getting  his  patent  from  the  king. 

His  BRAVE  LIEUTENANT,  TONTI 

While  in  France  La  Salle  met  Henri  de  Tonti,  an  Italian  who  had 
just  won  distinction  in  the  French  army.  His  father  had  been  engaged 
in  an  insurrection  in  Italy  and  had  taken  refuge  in  France  where  he 
became  a  great  financier,  having  originated  the  Tontine  system  of  life 
insurance.  Henri  de  Tonti  had  lost  a  hand  in  one  of  the  campaigns, 
but  he  was  nevertheless  a  man  of  great  energy,  and  destined  to  win  for 
himself  an  honored  name  in  the  New  World. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  43 

La  Salle  returned  to  New  France  in  1678,  bringing  with  him  about 
thirty  craftsmen  and  mariners,  together  with  a  large  supply  of  military 
and  naval  stores.  It  can  readily  be  seen  that  La  Salle  would  be  opposed 
by  the  merchants  and  politicians  in  the  region  of  Quebec  and  Montreal. 
He  had  risen  rapidly  and  was  now  ready  to  make  one  of  the  most  preten- 
tious efforts  at  discovery  and  exploration  that  had  been  undertaken  in 
New  France. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1678,  probably  in  December,  he  sent  Captain 
La  Motte  and  sixteen  men  to  select  a  suitable  site  for  the  building  of  a 
vessel  with  which  to  navigate  the  upper  lakes.  Captain  La  Motte  stopped 
at  the  rapids  below  Niagara  Falls  and  seems  to  have  been  indifferent 
to  his  mission.  La  Salle  and  Tonti  arrived  the  8th  of  January,  1679. 
The  next  day  La  Salle  went  above  the  falls,  probably  at  Tonawanda 
Creek,  and  selected  a  place  to  construct  the  vessel. 

Tonti  was  charged  with  building  the  vessel.  It  was  launched  in 
May,  1679,  and  was  christened  the  Griffin  (Griffon).  It  was  of  forty- 
five  to  fifty  tons  burden  and  carried  a  complement  of  five  cannon,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  cost  about  $10,000. 

An  expedition  of  traders  had  been  dispatched  into  the  Illinois  country 
for  the  purpose  of  traffic,  in  the  fall  of  1678.  Tonti  and  a  small  party 
went  up  Lake  Erie  and  were  to  await  the  coming  of  the  Griffin  at  the 
head  of  the  lake.  The  Griffin  weighed  anchor  August  7,  1679,  amid  the 
booming  of  cannon  and  the  chanting  of  the  Te  Deum.  It  arrived  at 
what  is  now  Detroit  on  the  10th,  and  there  found  Tonti  and  his  party. 
The  vessel  reached  Mackinaw  on  the  27th  of  August.  Here  La  Salle 
found  the  men  whom  he  had  dispatched  the  year  before  to  traffic  with 
the  Indians.  He  found  they  had  been  dissuaded  from  proceeding  to 
the  Illinois  country  by  the  report  that  La  Salle  was  visionary  and  that 
his  ship  would  never  reach  Mackinaw.  Tonti  was  given  the  task  of 
getting  these  men  together,  and  while  he  was  thus  engaged,  La  Salle 
sailed  in  the  Griffin  for  Green  Bay. 

Green  Bay  had  been  for  several  years  a  meeting  place  between  white 
traders  and  explorers,  and  the  Indians.  When  La  Salle  reached  the  point, 
he  found  some  of  the  traders  whom  he  had  sent  ahead  the  year  before. 
These  traders  had  collected  from  the  Pottawattamies  large  quantities 
of  furs.  For  these  furs  La  Salle  exchanged  a  large  stock  of  European 
goods  with  which  the  Griffin  was  loaded.  It  is  said  that  he  made  a 
large  sum  of  money  in  this  transaction.  The  Griffin  was  loaded  with 
these  furs  and  made  ready  to  return  to  the  warehouses  at  Niagara. 


44  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

LA  SALLE  STARTS  FOR  THE  ILLINOIS  COUNTRY 

On  September  18th,  the  Griffin,  in  charge  of  a  trusted  pilot,  a  super- 
cargo and  five  sailors,  started  on  the  return  voyage.  La  Salle  on  the 
19th  of  September,  1679,  with  a  company  of  fourteen  persons  in  four 
birch  bark  canoes,  loaded  with  a  blacksmith's  forge,  carpenter's  tools, 
merchandise,  arms,  provisions,  etc.,  started  on  his  journey  for  the  Illinois 
country.  He  coasted  along  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  Their 
provisions  were  exhausted  before  they  reached  the  present  site  of  Mil- 
waukee. They  had  been  forced  ashore  three  times  to  save  their  boats 
and  their  lives.  They  now  went  in  search  of  food  and  fortunately  found 
a  deserted  Indian  village  with  plenty  of  corn.  They  appropriated  the 
corn,  but  left  some  articles  as  pay.  The  next  day  the  Indians  returned 
and  followed  the  whites  to  their  boats  and  it  was  only  by  presenting 
the  calumet  that  La  Salle  was  able  to  appease  them. 

From  Milwaukee  they  coasted  south  past  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
Eiver  and  following  the  southerly  bend  of  the  lake  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Joseph  River  November  1,  1679.  This  had  been  appointed 
as  the  meeting  place  of  the  two  expeditions — the  one  under  La  Salle  and 
the  one  under  Tonti.  La  Salle  was  anxious  to  get  to  the  Illinois  country, 
but  he  also  desired  the  help  of  Tonti  and  as  the  latter  had  not  yet 
arrived,  La  Salle  occupied  the  time  of  his  men  in  building  a  palisade 
fort  which  he  named  Fort  Miami.  Near  by,  he  erected  a  bark  chapel 
for  the  use  of  the  priests,  and  also  a  storehouse  for  the  goods  which  the 
Griffin  was  to  bring  from  Niagara  on  its  return. 

TONTI  JOINS  LA  SALLE  AT  FORT  MIAMI 

Tonti  arrived  at  Fort  Miami  on  the  12th  of  November  with  only  a 
portion  of  his  company,  the  rest  remaining  behind  to  bring  word  of 
the  Griffin.  La  Salle  was  now  impatient  to  proceed,  and  dispatching 
Tonti  for  the  rest  of  his  crew  waited  for  his  return.  The  ice  began  to 
form  and  fearing  the  freezing  over  of  the  river,  La  Salle  ascended  the 
St.  Joseph  in  search  of  the  portage  between  the  Kankakee  and  the  St. 
Joseph.  He  went  up  the  St.  Joseph  beyond  the  portage  and  while 
searching  for  it  was  overtaken  by  a  courier  who  told  him  Tonti  and  his 
party  were  at  the  portage  farther  down  the  river.  This  point  is  supposed 
to  have  been  near  the  present  city  of  South  Bend,  Indiana.  Here  was 
now  assembled  the  party  which  was  to  become  a  very  historic  one.  There 
were  in  all  twenty-nine  Frenchmen  and  one  Indian.  Among  them  were 
La  Salle,  De  Tonti,  Fathers  Louis  Hennepin,  Zenobe  Membre,  Gabriel 
de  La  Ribourde,  La  Metairie  (a  notary)  and  De  Loup,  the  Indian  guide. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  45 

They  crossed  the  portage  of  three  or  four  miles  under  great  difficulties, 
dragging  their  canoes  and  their  burdens  on  sledges.  The  ice  was  getting 
thick  and  a  heavy  snow  storm  was  raging. 

IN  THE  ILLINOIS  COUNTRY 

By  the  6th  of  December,  1679,  the  expedition  was  afloat  on  the 
Kankakee.  For  many  miles  the  country  was  so  marshy  that  scarcely 
a  camping  place  could  be  found,  but  soon  its  members  emerged  into 
an  open  region  of  the  country  with  tall  grass  and  then  they  knew  they 
were  in  the  Illinois  country.  They  suffered  from  lack  of  food,  having 
killed  only  two  deer,  one  buffalo,  two  geese,  and  a  few  swans.  As  they 
journeyed  on  they  passed  the  mouths  of  the  Iroquois,  the  Des  Plaines, 
and  the  Fox.  They  passed  the  present  site  of  Ottawa  and  a  few  miles 
below  they  came  to  the  Kaskaskia  village  where  Marquette  had  planted 
the  mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  in .  the  summer  of  1675. 
Father  Allouez  had  succeeded  Marquette  and  had  spent  some  time  at 
the  Kaskaskia  village  in  1676,  and  in  1677  he  returned.  But  on  the 
approach  of  La  Salle,  Allouez  had  departed,  for  it  was  understood  that 
almost  all  of  the  Jesuit  priests  -were  opposed  to  La  Salle's  plans  of 
commercializing  the  interior  of  North  America.  The  Kaskaskia  Indians 
were  themselves  absent  from  the  village  on  an  expedition  to  the  south- 
land, as  was  their  winter  custom. 

DESERTED  KASKASKIA  VILLAGE  WITH  SUPPLIES 

This  Kaskaskia  village  of  four  hundred  lodges  was  uninhabited.  The 
huts  were  built  by  covering  a  long  arbor-like  frame  work  with  mats  of 
woven  rushes.  In  each  lodge  there  was  room  for  as  many  as  ten  families. 
In  their  hiding  places,  the  Indians  had  secreted  large  quantities  of  corn 
for  the  spring  planting  and  for  sustenance  until  another  crop  could  be 
raised.  La  Salle's  party  was  so  sorely  in  need  of  this  corn  that  he 
decided  to  appropriate  as  much  as  they  needed.  This  he  did,  taking 
30  minots.  On  January  1,  1680,  after  mass  by  Father  Hennepin, 
they  departed  down  the  Illinois  River.  On  the  morning  of  the  5th  they 
had  arrived  at  the  outlet  of  what  we  call  Peoria  Lake.  Here  they  saw 
large  numbers  of  boats  and  on  the  banks  wigwams  and  large  numbers 
of  Indians.  The  Indians  were  much  disconcerted  upon  seeing  La  Salle's 
party  land,  and  many  fled  while  a  few  held  communication  with  the 
new  comers.  La  Salle  held  a  consultation  with  the  chiefs  and  told  them 
of  his  taking  their  corn.  He  offered  to  pay  for  the  corn  and  said  that 
if  he  were  compelled  to  give  up  the  corn  he  would  take  his  blacksmith 


46  HISTOBY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

and  his  tools  to  the  next  tribe,  the  Osages,  whereupon  the  Indians  gladly 
accepted  pay  for  the  corn  taken  and  offered  more. 

INTERVIEWS  THE  KASKASKIAS 

La  Salle  told  them  he  wished  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  them, 
but  that  they  must  not  expect  him  to  engage  in  conflicts  with  the 
Iroquois  whom  his  king  regarded  as  his  children.  But  if  they  would 
allow  him  to  build  a  fort  near,  that  he  would  defend  them,  the  Kas- 
kaskias,  against  the  Iroquois  if  they  were  attacked.  He  also  told  them 
he  wished  to  know  whether  he  could  navigate  a  large  boat  from  that 
point  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  since  it  was  very  difficult 
as  well  as  dangerous  to  bring  such  European  goods  as  the  Indians  would 
like  to  have  from  New  France  by  way  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  that  it 
could  not  well  be  done  by  coming  across  the  Iroquois  country  as  they 
would  object,  since  the  Illinois  Indians  and  the  Iroquois  were  enemies. 

The  Kaskaskia  chiefs  told  La  Salle  that  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
was  only  twenty  days'  travel  away  and  that  there  were  no  obstructions 
to  navigation.  Certain  Indian  slaves  taken  in  battle  said  that  they  had 
been  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  that  they  had  seen  ships  at  sea  that 
made  noises  like  thunder.  This  made  La  Salle  the  more  anxious  to 
reach  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  take  possession  of  the  country.  The 
chiefs  gave  consent  to  the  construction  of  the  fort  and  La  Salle  had 
a  bright  vision  before  him.  This  vision  was  sadly  clouded  on  the 
morrow  when  an  Indian  revealed  to  him  the  visit  to  the  chiefs,  on  the 
night  before,  of  a  Miami  chief  by  the  name  of  Monso  who  tried  to 
undermine  the  influence  of  La  Salle.  He  said  La  Salle  was  deceiving 
them.  In  a  council  that  day  he  revealed  his  knowledge  of  the  visit  of 
Monso  and  by  great  diplomacy  won  the  Kaskaskia  chief  to  his  cause 
the  second  time.  It  was  supposed  this  chief  Monso  was  sent  at  the 
suggestion  of  Father  Allouez.  Four  of  La  Salle's  men  deserted  him  and 
returned  to  the  region  of  Lake  Michigan. 

BUILDS  FOHT  CEEVECOEUR  BELOW  PEORIA 

La  Salle,  fearing  the  influence  of  the  stories  among  the  Indians, 
upon  his  men,  decided  to  separate  from  them  and  go  further  down  the 
river  where  he  could  construct  his  fort  and  built  his  boat.  On  the 
evening  of  the  15th  of  January,  1680,  La  Salle  moved  to  a  point  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river  three  miles  below  the  present  site  of  Peoria. 
There  on  a  projection  from  the  bluffs  he  built  with  considerable  labor 
a  fort  which  received  the  name  of  Crevecoeur.  This  was  the  fourth  of 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  47 

the  great  chain  of  forts  which  La  Salle  had  constructed,  namely :  Fort 
Frontenac  at  the  oiitlet  of  Lake  Ontario;  Fort  Tonti  on  the  Niagara 
River;  Fort  Miami  at  the  mouth  of  St.  Joseph  River,  and  Crevecoeur 
below  Lake  Peoria  on  the  Illinois  River. 

Fort  Crevecoeur  is  currently  believed  to  have  been  so  named  because 
of  the  disheartened  frame  of  mind  of  La  Salle,  but  this  would  not  be 
complimentary  to  the  character  of  the  man.  It  is  now  rather  believed 
to  have  been  so  named  in  honor  of  Tonti,  since  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Netherlands  he  took  part  in  the  destruction  of  Fort  Crevecoeur  near 
the  village  of  Bois  le  Due  in  the  year  1672. 

In  addition  to  the  building  of  the  fort,  La  Salle  began  the  con- 
struction of  a  vessel  with  which  to  complete  his  journey  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  The  lumber  was  sawed  from  the  timber  and  rapid  progress 
was  made.  The  keel  was  42  feet  long,  and  the  beam  was  12  feet. 
While  this  work  was  in  progress  and  during  the  month  of  February, 
several  representatives  of  tribes  from  up  the  Mississippi  and  down  the 
Mississippi,  as  well  as  from  the  Miamis  to  the  northeast,  came  to  consult 
with  La  Salle.  His  presence  in  the  Illinois  country  was  known  near  and 
far.  The  Indians  from  the  upper  Mississippi  brought  tempting  descrip- 
tions of  routes  to  the  western  sea  and  also  of  the  wealth  of  beaver  with 
which  their  country  abounded. 

SENDS  EXPEDITION  TO  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI 

La  Salle  desired  to  make  a  visit  to  Fort  Frontenac  for  sails,  cordage, 
iron,  and  other  material  for  his  boat,  besides  he  was  very  anxious  to  hear 
something  definite  about  the  Griffin,  and  its  valuable  cargo.  But  before 
embarking  on  his  long  journey,  he  fitted  out  an  expedition  consisting 
of  Michael  Ako,  Antony  Auguel,  and  Father  Hennepin,  to  explore  the 
upper  Mississippi.  Michael  Ako  was  the  leader.  They  started  February 
the  29th,  passed  down  the  Illinois  River  and  thence  up  the  Mississippi. 
They  carried  goods  worth  a  thousand  livres,  which  were  to  be  exchanged 
for  furs.  Father  Hennepin  took  St.  Anthony  for  his  patron  saint  and 
when  near  the  falls  which  we  know  by  that  name,  he  set  up  a  post 
upon  which  he  engraved  the  cross  and  the  coat  of  arms  of  France.  He 
was  shortly  captured  by  the  Indians  and  was  later  released  by  a  French 
trader,  De  Lhut.  He  then  returned  to  France. 

DEPARTS  FOR  FORT  FRONTENAC,  LEAVING  TONTI  BEHIND 

Before  starting  for  Frontenac,  La  Salle  commissioned  Tonti  to  have 
charge  of  the  Crevecoeur  fort,  and  also  to  build  a  fort  at  Starved  Rock. 


48  HISTOKY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

On  March  1st,  the  day  following  the  departure  of  Ako  and  Hennepin  for 
the  upper  Mississippi,  La  Salle  departed,  with  three  companions,  for 
Fort  Frontenac.  This  was  a  long,  dangerous,  and  discouraging  journey. 
Every  venture  which  he  had  engaged  in  seems  to  have  failed.  After 
finally  getting  together  supplies  such  as  were  needed,  he  started  on  his 
return  journey.  He  was  continually  hearing  stories  from  the  travelers 
of  the  desertion  of  Crevecoeur.  When  he  came  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  Kaskaskia  village  he  began  to  see  signs  of  destruction.  On  arriving 
at  the  village  nothing  but  a  few  blackened  posts  remained.  The  Iroquois 
Indians  had  made  a  campaign  against  the  Illinois  Indians  and  their 
trail  could  he  traced  by  death  and  destruction. 

IROQUOIS  EAVAGES  AT  STARVED  ROCK  AND  FORT  CREVECOEUR 

When  La  Salle  left  the  locality  of  Starved  Rock  for  Fort  Crevecoeur, 
on  his  way  from  Canada,  he  passed  the  Iroquois  on  one  side  of  the 
river  and  the  Illinois  on  the  other.  He  searched  everywhere  for  Tonti 
but  could  find  no  trace  of  him.  He  came  to  Crevecoeur  about  the  first 
of  December,  1680,  and  found  the  fort  deserted  and  the  storehouse 
plundered;  the  boat,  however,  was  without  damage.  La  Salle  went  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  in  search  of  Tonti  but  without  success. 
He  returned  to  Fort  Miami  in  the  spring  of  1681.  Here  he  began  the 
organization  of  all  the  Indian  tribes  into  a  sort  of  confederation. 

Upon  the  approach  of  the  Iroquois  shortly  after  the  departure  of 
La  Salle  from  Fort  Crevecoeur,  in  March,  1680,  Tonti  and  his  party 
were  scattered  far  and  near.  Tonti  and  Father  Membre  made  their  way 
to  Green  Bay  and  from  there  to  Mackinaw.  La  Salle  heard  of  them 
here  and  went  immediately  to  them.  Another  expedition  was  organ- 
ized. La  Salle,  Father  Membre  and  Tonti  visited  Fort  Frontenac,  where 
supplies  were  procured,  and  late  in  December,  1681,  the  expedition  had 
crossed  the  Chicago  portage.  There  were  in  this  company  fifty-four 
people — twenty-three  Frenchmen  and  thirty-one  Indians. 

They  passed  the  Kaskaskia  village  near  Starved  Rock,  but  it  was  in 
ruins.  On  January  25,  1682,  they  reached  Fort  Crevecoeur.  The  fort 
was  in  fair  condition.  Here  they  halted  six  days,  while  the  Indians 
made  some  elm  bark  canoes.  They  reached  the  Mississippi  the  6th  of 
February.  After  a  little  delay  they  proceeded  down  the  river,  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  shortly  after  that  a  village  of  the  Tam- 
aroa  Indians.  The  village  contained  one  hundred  and  twenty  cabins, 
but  they  were  all  deserted.  La  Salle  left  presents  on  the  posts  for  the 
villagers  when  they  returned.  Grand  Tower  was  passed,  later  the  Ohio. 
The  trip  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  was  without  special  interest. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  49 

They  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  April,  and  on  the  ninth  of  that 
month  erected  a  post  upon  which  they  nailed  the  arms  of  France  wrought 
from  a  copper  kettle.  A  proclamation  was  prepared  by  the  notary, 
Jacques  de  la  Metairie,  and  read.  It  recited  briefly  their  journey  to  the 
country  drained  by  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries. 

On  the  10th  of  April  the  party  began  the  return  journey.  La  Salle 
was  stricken  with  a  severe  illness  and  was  obliged  to  remain  at  Fort 
Prudhomme,  which  had  been  erected  on  the  Chickasaw  bluffs  just  above 
Vicksburg.  Tonti  was  sent  forward  to  look  after  his  leader's  interests. 
He  went  by  Fort  Miami,  but  found  everything  in  order.  He  reached 
Mackinaw  the  22d  of  July. 

La  Salle  reached  Crevecoeur  on  his  way  north.  He  left  eight 
Frenchmen  here  to  hold  this  position.  He  reached  Fort  Miami,  and 
thence  passed  on  to  Mackinaw.  He  then  sent  Father  Membre  to  France 
to  report  his  discovery  to  the  king,  while  he  himself  set  about  the  build- 
ing of  Fort  St.  Louis,  at  Starved  Rock,  on  the  Illinois.  The  detachment 
left  by  La  Salle  at  Crevecoeur  was  ordered  north  to  Fort  St.  Louis,  and 
he  began  to  grant  his  followers  small  areas  of  land  in  recognition  of 
their  services  with  him  in  the  past  few  years.  The  fort  was  completed 
and  in  March,  1683,  the  ensign  of  France  floated  to  the  breeze.  The 
tribes  for  miles  -in  circuit  came  to  the  valley  about  the  fort  and 
encamped.  La  Salle  patiently  looked  for  French  settlers  from  New 
France  but  they  did  not  come. 

During  the  absence  of  La  Salle  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi, 
Count  Frontenac  had  been  superseded  by  Sieur  de  la  Barre,  who  had 
assumed  the  duties  of  his  office  October  9,  1682.  He  was  not  friendly 
to  La  Salle's  schemes  of  extending  the  possessions  of  France  in  the 
New  World.  La  Salle  suspected,  in  the  summer  of  1683,  that  the  new 
governor  was  not  in  sympathy  with  him.  After  a  great  deal  of  fruitless 
correspondence  with  the  new  governor,  La  Salle  repaired  to  France  to 
lay  before  the  king  his  new  discoveries  as  well  as  plans  for  the  future. 

LA  SALLE  ASSASSINATED 

Tonti  was  displaced  as  commander  at  Fort  St.  Louis  and  ordered  to 
Quebec.  La  Salle  not  only  secured  a  fleet  for  the  trip  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi,  but  also  had  Tonti  restored  to  command  at  Fort  St. 
Louis.  La  Salle  sailed  to  the  Gulf  in  the  spring  of  1685.  He  failed  to 
find  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  landed  in  what  is  now  Texas.  After 
hardships  and  discouragement  almost  beyond  belief,  he  was  murdered  by 
some  of  his  own  men  the  latter  part  of  March,  1687. 

1—4 


50  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

La  Salle  went  to  France  in  the  summer  of  1683  and  left  Tonti  in 
charge  of  his  interests  in  the  Illinois  country.  Tonti  was  active  in  the 
defense  of  his  superior's  interests.  In  this  duty  he  was  forced  to  defend 
the  Illinois  country  against  the  Iroquois,  and  to  struggle  against  La 
Salle's  enemies  in  New  France.  He  made  expeditions  of  trade  and 
exploration  throughout  all  the  western  country,  took  part  in  a  great 
campaign  against  the  Iroquois,  and  was  the  life  of  a  growing  community 
around  Fort  St.  Louis. 

DEATH  OF   TONTI 

The  death  of  La  Salle  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1687.  Just  one 
year  previous  to  this  Tonti  had  made  a  trip  to  the  Gulf  in  search  of 
La  Salle,  but  failing  to  find  him  returned  sorrowfully  to  Fort  St.  Louis. 
In  September,  1688,  Tonti  heard  definitely  of  the  death  of  La  Salle. 
In  December  of  that  year  he  organized  an  expedition  to  rescue  the 
colonists  whom  La  Salle  had  left  on  the  coast  of  the  Gulf.  This  expedi- 
tion also  proved  a  failure.  For  the  next  ten  years  Tonti  remained  in 
the  region  of  the  Lakes,  but  when  Bienville  began  planting  new  settle- 
ments near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  River,  Tonti  abandoned  Fort 
St.  Louis  and  joined  the  new  settlements.  He  died  near  Mobile  in  1704. 

PERMANENT  PIONEER  SETTLEMENTS  OF  ILLINOIS 

The  death  of  La  Salle  in  1688  and  of  Tonti  in  1704,  concluded 
the  most  romantic  chapter  of  the  early  French  explorations  which  pre- 
pared the  way  for  permanent  settlement  and  the  solid  satisfaction  of 
home-building.  Without  going  into  the  rather  intricate  claims  as  to 
the  priority  of  the  pioneer  settlements  of  Illinois  which  assumed 
permanence,  it  will  be  conceded  that  Kaskaskia  was  for  several  genera- 
tions the  most  notable.  The  mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
founded  there  by  Father  Marquette,  with  the  fertile  lands  in  that  region, 
eventuated  in  drawing  thither  not  only  the  soldiers  of  the  cross,  but 
French  traders  and  agriculturists.  The  Indians  and  Frenchmen  who 
came  to  Kaskaskia  in  the  eighteenth  century  built  their  huts  by  weaving 
grasses  and  reeds  into  frameworks  of  upright  poles  set  in  rectangular 
form.  The  roofs  were  thatched.  The  ground  was  very  rich  and  a  sort 
of  rude  agriculture  was  begun.  In  those  days  the  French  were  just 
taking  possession  of  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  Kaskaskia  became 
quite  an  important  intermediate  port  of  call  for  fresh  supplies.  The 
trading  with  the  Indians  was  also  a  large  factor  in  the  building  up  of 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  51 

the  place,  which  was  located  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Kaskaskia,  six 
miles  from  the  Mississippi. 

Cahokia,  its  rival,  situated  a  short  distance  below  the  present  city 
of  East  St.  Louis,  was  also  a  mission  and  a  trading  post,  but  it  met 
with  a  setback  quite  early  in  its  history.  The  village  was  first  built  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  on  a  little  creek  which  flowed  across 
the  rich  alluvial  bottoms,  but  by  1721  the  river  had  carved  a  new 
channel  westward  leaving  the  village  half  a  league  from  free  water 
communication.  The  little  creek  also  took  another  course,  and  Cahokia 
was  left  decidedly  inland. 

The  Mississippi  River  has  swept  away  even  the  site  of  Kaskaskia, 
and  Cahokia  is  little  more  than  a  name. 

FORT  CHARTRES,  CENTER  OF  ILLINOIS  DISTRICT 

Fort  Chartres,  which  was  situated  sixteen  miles  northwest  of  Kas- 
kaskia, was  founded  in  1718  and  became  the  military  and  the  civil 
center  of  the  Illinois  district  of  Louisiana,  and  so  continued  for  nearly 
half  a  century.  As  completed,  its  outer  structure  consisted  of  two  rows 
of  parallel  logs  filled  between  with  earth  and  limestone,  the  latter 
quarried  from  an  adjacent  cliff.  It  was  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
this  two-foot  wall,  and  on  the  fourth  by  a  ravine,  which  during  the 
springtime  was  full  of  water. 

The  fort  was  barely  completed  when  there  arrived  one  Renault,  a 
representative  of  the  Company  of  the  West  (a  creation  of  the  famous 
John  Law),  the  director  general  of  the  mining  operations  of  that  con- 
cern which  were  designed  to  re-enforce  the  uncertain  finances  of  France. 
He  had  left  France  in  the  spring  of  1719  with  two  hundred  miners, 
laborers  and  a  full  complement  of  mining  utensils.  Among  his  force 
were  also  several  hundred  St.  Domingo  negroes,  whom  he  had  bought 
on  his  way  to  Louisiana  to  work  the  mines  and  plantations  of  the 
province.  Those  whom  he  brought  to  the  Illinois  district  were  the 
original  slaves  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

Renault  made  Fort  Chartres  his  headquarters  for  a  short  time,  and 
from  here  he  sent  his  expert  miners  and  skilled  workmen  in  every  direc- 
tion hunting  for  the  precious  metals.  The  bluffs  skirting  the  American 
Bottoms  on  the  east  were  diligently  searched  for  minerals,  but  nothing 
encouraging  was  found.  In  what  is  now  Jackson,  Randolph,  and  St. 
Clair  counties  the  ancient  traces  of  furnaces  were  visible  as  late  as  1850. 
Silver  Creek,  which  runs  south  and  through  Madison  and  St.  Clair 
counties,  was  so  named  on  the  supposition  that  silver  metal  was  plenti- 
ful along  that  stream. 


52  HISTOBY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

Failing  to  discover  any  metals  or  precious  stones,  Benault  turned 
his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land  in  order  to  support  his 
miners. 

FIRST  LAND  GRANT  IN  DISTRICT 

On  May  10,  1722,  the  military  commandant,  Lieutenant  Bois- 
briant,  representing  the  king,  and  Des  TJsins  representing  the  Royal 
Indies  Company  (the  Company  of  the  West),  granted  to  Charles  Davie 
a  tract  of  land  five  arpents  wide  (58.35  rods)  and  reaching  from  the 
Kaskaskia  on  the  east  to  the  Mississippi  on  the  west.  This  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  grant  of  land  made  in  the  Illinois  district  in 
Louisiana. 

The  next  year,  June  14th,  the  same  officials  made  a  grant  to  Eenault 
of  a  tract  of  land  abutting  or  facing  on  the  Mississippi,  more  than  three 
miles.  This  tract  contained  more  than  13,000  acres.  It  reached  back 
to  the  bluffs,  probably  four  to  five  miles.  It  is  said  the  grant  was 
made  in  consideration  of  the  labor  of  Eenault's  slaves,  probably  upon 
some  work  belonging  to  the  Company  of  the  West.  This  grant  was  up 
the  Mississippi  three  and  a  half  miles  above  Fort  Chartres.  The  village 
of  St.  Phillipe  was  probably  started  before  the  grant  was  made,  at  least 
the  village  was  on  the  grant. 

PRAIIUE  DU  ROCHER 

As  soon  as  Fort  Chartres  was  complete  there  grew  up  a  village  near 
by,  which  usually  went  by  the  name  of  New  Chartres.  About  the  year 
1722  the  village  of  Prairie  du  Eocher  was  begun.  It  was  located  near 
the  bluffs  due  east  from  Fort  Chartres  about  three  and  a  half  miles.  It 
is  said  that  some  of  the  houses  were  built  of  stone,  there  being  an 
abundance  of  that  material  in  the  bluffs  just  back  of  the  village.  To 
this  village  there  was  granted  a  very  large  "common"  which  it  holds 
to  this  day.  The  common  is  about  three  miles  square  and  lies  back  of 
the  village  upon  the  upland. 

There  were,  probably,  as  early  as  1725,  five  permanent  French 
villages  in  the  American  Bottom,  namely:  Cahokia,  settled  not  earlier 
than  1698,  and  not  later  than  1700;  Kaskaskia,  settled  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  1700,  or  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1701 ;  New 
Chartres,  the  village  about  Fort  Chartres,  commenced  about  the  same 
time  the  fort  was  erected,  1720;  Prairie  du  Eocher,  settled  about  1722, 
or  possibly  as  late  as  the  grant  to  Boisbriant,  which  was  in  1733;  St. 
Phillipe,  settled  very  soon  after  Eenault  received  the  grant  from  the 
Western  Company,  which  was  1723. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  53 

The  villages  were  all  much  alike.  They  were  a  straggling  lot  of 
crude  cabins,  built  with  little  if  any  reference  to  streets,  and  constructed 
with  no  pretension  to  architectural  beauty.  The  inhabitants  were 
French  and  Indians  and  negroes. 

LIFE  AT  THE  PIONEER  FRENCH-ILLINOIS  SETTLEMENTS 

The  industrial  life  of  these  people  consisted  of  fishing  and  hunting, 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  commercial  transactions,  some  manufacturing, 
and  mining.  The  fishing  and  hunting  were  partly  a  pastime,  but  the 
table  was  often  liberally  supplied  from  these  sources.  The  soil  was 
fertile  and  yielded  abundantly  to  a  very  indifferent  cultivation.  Wheat 
was  grown  and  the  grain  ground  in  crude  water  mills  usually  situated 
at  the  mouths  of  the  streams  as  they  emerge  from  the  bluffs.  And  it 
is  said  one  windmill  was  erected  in  the  bottom.  They  had  swine  and 
black  cattle,  says  Father  Charlevoix,  in  1721.  The  Indians  raised 
poultry,  spun  the  wool  of  the  buffalo  and  wove  a  cloth  which  they  dyed 
black,  yellow  or  red. 

In  the  first  thirty  or  forty  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  there 
was  considerable  commerce  carried  on  between  these  villages  and  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  New  Orleans  was  established  in  1718  and  came  to 
be,  in  a  very  early  day,  an  important  shipping  point.  The  gristmills 
ground  the  wheat  which  the  Illinois  farmers  raised  on  the  bottom  lands, 
and  the  flour  was  shipped  in  keel  boats  and  flatboats.  Fifteen  thousand 
deer  skins  were  sent  in  one  year  to  New  Orleans.  Buffalo  meat  and 
other  products  of  the  forest,  as  well  as  the  produce  of  the  farms,  made 
up  the  cargoes.  Considerable  lead  was  early  shipped  to  the  mother 
country.  The  return  vessel  brought  the  colonists  rice,  sugar,  coffee, 
manufactured  articles  of  all  kinds,  tools,  implements,  and  munitions  of 
war. 

ILLINOIS  COMES  DIRECTLY  UNDER  ROYAL  CONTROL 

In  1720  a  financial  panic  struck  France  and  John  Law  was  forced 
to  flee  from  the  country.  The  Company  of  the  Indies  kept  up  a  pretense 
of  carrying  on  its  business,  but  in  1732  upon  petition  by  the  'company 
the  king  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  company  dissolved  and 
Louisiana  to  be  free  to  all  subjects  of  the  king.  There  were  at  this 
time  (1732)  about  7,000  whites  and  2,000  negro  slaves  within  the  limits 
of  the  Louisiana  territory.  The  rules  of  the  Western  Company  had 
been  so  exacting  that  many  of  the  activities  of  the  people  had  been 
repressed.  Every  one  seems  to  have  been  held  in  a  sort  of  vassalage 


54  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

to  the  company.     Now  the  territory  was  to  come  directly  under  the 
crown. 

In  1721  the  whole  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  had  been  divided  into 
nine  civil  jurisdictions,  as  follows:  New  Orleans,  Biloxi,  Mobile, 
Alabama,  Natchez,  Yazoo,  Natchitoches,  Arkansas  and  Illinois.  "There 
shall  be  at  the  headquarters  in  each  district  a  commandant  and  a  judge, 
from  whose  decisions  appeals  may  be  had  to  the  superior  council  estab- 
lished at  New  Biloxi."  Breese's  History  of  Illinois  gives  a  copy  of  an 
appeal  of  the  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia  to  the  Provincial  commandant 
and  judge  relative  to  the  grants  t>f  lands  to  individuals  and  to  the 
inhabitants  as  a  whole. 

ILLINOIS  SPIRITUALLY  ASSIGNED  TO  THE  JESUITS 

The  religious  life  of  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  and  other  French  villages 
was  quite  free  from  outside  influence.  By  the  third  article  of  the 
ordinance  issued  by  Louis  XV  in  1724,  all  religious  beliefs  other  than 
the  Catholic  faith  were  forbidden.  The  article  reads  as  follows:  "We 
prohibit  any  other  religious  rites  than  those  of  the  Apostolic  Eoman 
Catholic  church ;  requiring  that  those  who  violate  this  shall  be  punished 
as  rebels,  disobedient  to  our  commands."  This  ordinance  also  made  it 
an  offense  to  set  over  any  slaves  any  overseers  who  should  in  any  way 
prevent  the  slaves  from  professing  the  Roman  Catholic  religion. 

By  an  ordinance  issued  in  1722,  by  the  council  for  the  company,  and 
with  the  consent  of  the  bishop  of  Quebec,  the  province  of  Louisiana 
was  divided  into  three  spiritual  jurisdictions.  The  first  comprised  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  gulf  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and 
including  the  region  to  the  west.  The  Capuchins  were  to  officiate  in 
the  churches,  and  their  superior  was  to  reside  in  New  Orleans.  The 
second  spiritual  district  comprised  all  the  territory  north  of  the  Ohio, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  charge  of  the  Jesuits  whose  superior  should 
reside  in  the  Illinois,  presumably  at  Kaskaskia.  The'  third  district  lay 
south  of  the  Ohio  and  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  was  assigned  to 
the  Carmelites,  the  residence  of  the  superior  being  at  Mobile.  Each 
of  the  three  superiors  was  to  be  a  grand  vicar  of  the  bishop  of  Quebec. 
The  Carmelites  remained  in  charge  of  their  territory  south  of  the  Ohio 
only  till  the  following  fall,  December,  1722,  when  they  turned  over  their 
work  to  the  Capuchins  and  returned  to  France. 

As  evidence  of  the  activity  of  the  Jesuits  in  the  territory  which  was 
assigned  to  them,  we  are  told  they  had  already,  in  1721,  established  a 
monastery  in  Kaskaskia.  It  is  stated  in  Monette's  Mississippi  Valley, 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  55 

that  a  college  was  also  established  there  about  the  year  1721.  Charle- 
voix,  quoted  by  Davidson  and  Stuve,  says :  "I  passed  the  night  with  the 
missionaries  (at  Cahokia),  who  are  two  ecclesiastics  from  the  seminary 
at  Quebec,  formerly  my  disciples,  but  they  must  now  be  my  masters. 
*  *  *  Yesterday  I  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  about  nine  o'clock.  The 
Jesuits  have  a  very  nourishing  mission,  which  has  lately  been  divided 
into  two."  All  descriptions  which  have  come  down  to  us  of  the  condi- 
tions in  the  Illinois  country  in  the  first  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
represent  the  church  as  most  aggressive  and  prosperous.  Civil  govern- 
ment certainly  must  have  passed  into  "Innocuous  desuetude"  by  1732. 

The  government  was  very  simple,  at  least  until  about  1730.  From 
the  settlement  in  1700  up  to  the  coming  of  Crozat  there  was  virtually 
no  civil  government.  Controversies  were  few  and  the  priest's  influence 
was  such  that  all  disputes  which  arose  were  settled  by  that  personage. 
Eecently  documents  have  been  recovered  from  the  courthouse  in  Chester 
which  throw  considerable  light  upon  the  question  of  government  in  the 
French  villages,  but  as  yet  they  have  not  been  thoroughly  sorted  and 
interpreted. 

The  Company  of  the  West  realized  that  its  task  of  developing  the 
territory  of  Louisiana  was  an  unprofitable  one,  and  they  surrendered 
their  charter  to  the  king,  and  Louisiana  became,  as  we  are  accustomed 
to  say,  a  royal  province  by  proclamation  of  the  king,  April  10,  1732. 

FAILURES  EESULT  IN  GOOD 

The  two  efforts,  the  one  by  Crozat  and  the  other  by  the  Company 
of  the  West,  had  both  resulted  in  failure  so  far  as  profit  to  either  was 
concerned.  Crozat  had  spent  425,000  livres  and  realized  in  return  only 
300,000  livres.  And  although  a  rich  man,  the  venture  ruined  him 
financially.  The  Company  of  the  West  put  thousands  of  dollars  into 
the  attempt  to  develop  the  territory  for  which  no  money  in  return  was 
ever  received.  But  the  efforts  of  both  were  a  lasting  good  to  the  terri- 
tory itself.  Possibly  the  knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the  country 
which  resulted  from  the  explorations  in  search  of  precious  metals,  was 
not  the  least  valuable.  Among  other  things,  these  two  efforts  brought 
an  adventurous  and  energetic  class  of  people  into  Illinois. 

FORTUNATE  AND  PROGRESSIVE  ILLINOIS 

For  many  years  after  1732,  when  Louisiana  became  a  royal  province, 
the  Illinois  country,  or  district,  was  spared  many  of  the  hardships  of 


56  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

war  which  so  distressed  and  retarded  the  French  domain  both  north 
and  south  of  it.  The  massacre  at  Natchez,  and  the  campaigns  against 
the  Natchez  and  Chickasaw  Indians  which  ravaged  the  southern  country 
for  a  decade,  were  events  of  this  character.  The  French  and  the  Indians 
north  of  the  Ohio  were  on  very  good  terms  and  the  settlements  in  the 
Illinois  country  grew  rapidly,  especially  after  1739,  with  the  subjugation 
of  the  turbulent  Indians  who  had  so  interfered  with  the  free  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi.  Neither  did  King  George's  war,  which  broke  out 
between  France  and  England  in  1744,  disturb  the  even  progress  of  the 
western  country.  In  the  fall  of  1745  the  rice  crop  of  lower  Louisiana 
was  almost  ruined  by  storms  and  inundation,  which  misfortune  worked 
to  the  advantage  of  Illinois  by  creating  an  unusual  demand  for  its  wheat 
and  flour. 

FRENCH-ENGLISH  CONTESTS  FOR  THE  OHIO  VALLEY 

King  George's  war,  which  had  its  origin  in  European  political 
complications,  closed  in  1748.  The  treaty  which  closed  the  war  provided 
for  the  return  of  Louisburg  to  the  French,  and  all  other  possessions  of 
England  and  France  in  America  to  remain  as  they  were  prior  to  the 
war.  It  could  easily  be  seen  that  the  next  struggle  between  the  French 
and  the  English  would  be  for  the  permanent  control  of  the  Ohio  Valley 
and  the  adjacent  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver.  The  English 
had  never  relaxed  in  their  determination  to  possess  the  Ohio  Valley. 
In  1738  a  treaty  was  made  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  between  English 
commissioners  and  three  Indian  chiefs  representing  twelve  towns  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Wabash.  The  purpose  of  the  treaty  was  to  attach 
the  Indians  north  of  the  Ohio  to  the  English  cause.  The  Ohio  Land 
Company  was  formed  in  1738.  It  contained  residents  of  England  and 
Virginia.  It  received  from  King  George  II  a  grant  of  a  half  million 
acres  of  land  on  and  about  the  Ohio  River.  They  were  given  the 
exclusive  right  of  trading  with  the  Indians  in  that  region. 

In  1749  the  governor  general  of  Canada  sent  Louis  Celeron,  a  knight 
of  the  Military  Order  of  St.  Louis,  to  plant  lead  plates  along  the  valley 
of  the  Ohio  which  might  eventually  prove  French  priority  of  occupation 
of  this  territory.  Several  of  the  plates  were  afterward  unearthed.  In 
1750  Celeron  wrote  a  letter  to  the  governor  of  Pennsylvania  warning 
him  of  the  danger  of  his  people  who  might  trespass  upon  the  French 
possessions  along  the  Ohio.  In  1752  agents  of  the  Ohio  Company  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  within  a  few  miles  of  the  present  site  of  Piqua, 
Ohio.  In  the  same  year  the  French  and  Indian  allies  destroyed  this 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  57 

post,  killing  fourteen  Twightwees  Indians,  who  were  under  a  treaty  with 
the  English.  Logstown,  about  eighteen  miles  below  the  forks  of  the  Ohio, 
was  settled  in  1748  by  the  English,  and  in  1752  a  treaty  was  made  there 
in  which  the  Indians  ceded  certain  rights  and  privileges  to  the  English. 

The  French  began  in  1753  to  build  a  line  of  forts  from  the  lakes  to 
the  Mississippi  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries  from  the  north. 
The  first  fort  was  located  at  Presque  Isle  (now  Erie,  Pennsylvania) ; 
the  second  one  was  Fort  Le  Boeuf  on  French  Creek,  a  branch  of  the 
Alleghany.  The  third  was  called  Venango,  at  the  mouth  of  the  French 
Creek.  From  here  they  pushed  south  and  found  some  Englishmen 
building  a  fort  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela.  The 
French  drove  the  Englishmen  from  the  place  and  finished  the  fort  and 
named  it  Fort  Duquesne.  This  was  the  fourth  fortification  in  the  line 
of  forts  reaching  from  the  lakes  to  the  Mississippi  River.  The  French 
and  Indian  war  was  now  fairly  begun  and  we  shall  return  to  the  Illinois 
to  see  what  part  this  region  was  to  play  in  this  final  contest  for 
supremacy  between  the  two  great  powers  of  the  Old  World. 

We  have  called  attention  to  the  activity  of  the  French  in  building 
forts  on  the  upper  Ohio  to  secure  that  region  from  the  English.  The 
same  activity  marked  their  preparations  in  the  west  for  the  impending 
struggle.  Fort  Chartres  had  been  originally  of  wood.  There  never 
were  many  soldiers  stationed  there  at  any  time — only  a  few  score  soldiers 
and  officers,  but  following  King  George's  war  it  was  decided  to  rebuild 
Fort  Chartres  on  a  large  scale. 

FORT  CHARTRES  REBUILT  BY  THE  FRENCH 

The  old  fort  had  been  hastily  constructed  of  wood.  The  new  fort 
was  to  be  of  stone.  It  was  planned  and  constructed  by  Lieutenant  Jean 
B.  Saussier,  a  French  engineer,  whose  descendants  lived  in  Cahokia 
many  years,  one  of  whom,  Dr.  John  Snyder,  now  lives  in  Virginia,  Cass 
County,  Illinois.  When  complete  it  was  the  finest  and  most  costly  fort 
in  America.  The  cost  of  its  construction  was  about  $1,500,000,  and  it 
seriously  embarrassed  the  French  exchequer.  The  stones  were  hewn, 
squared  and  numbered  in  the  quarries  in  the  bluff  just  opposite,  about 
four  miles  distant,  and  conveyed  across  the  lake  to  the  fort  in  boats. 
The  massive  stone  walls  enclosed  about  four  acres.  They  were  eighteen 
feet  high  and  about  two  feet  thick.  The  gateway  was  arched,  and  fifteen 
feet  high ;  a  cut-stone  platform  was  above  the  gate  with  a  stair  of  nine- 
teen steps  and  balustrade  leading  to  it;  there  were  four  bastions,  each 
with  forty-eight  loopholes,  eight  embrasures,  and  a  sentry  box,  all  in 


58  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

cut  stone.  Within  the  walls  stood  the  storehouse,  ninety  feet  long, 
thirty  feet  wide,  two  stories  high;  the  guard  house  with  two  rooms 
above  for  chapel  and  missionary  quarters ;  the  government  house,  eighty- 
four  by  thirty-two  feet,  with  iron  gates  and  a  stone  porch ;  a  coach  house, 
pigeon  house,  and  large  well  walled  up  with  the  finest  of  dressed  rock; 
the  intendant's  house;  two  rows  of  barracks,  each  128  feet  long;  the 
magazine,  which  is  still  standing  and  well  preserved,  thirty-five  by  thirty- 
eight  and  thirteen  feet  high ;  bake  ovens ;  four  prison  cells  of  cut  stone ; 
one  large  relief  gate  on  the  north.  Such  was  the  pride  of  the  French 
empire,  and  the  capital  of  New  France. 

ILLINOIS  TRIUMPHS  OVER  VIRGINIA 

The  fort  was  scarcely  completed  when  the  French  and  Indian  war 
broke  out.  In  May  of  1754  George  Washington  and  his  Virginia  rifle- 
men surprised  the  French  at  Great  Meadows,  where  Jumonville,  the 
French  commander,  was  killed.  A  brother  of  the  slain  French  com- 
mander, who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Chartres,  secured  leave  from 
Makarty,  in  command  there,  to  avenge  his  death.  Taking  his  company 
with  him  they  proceeded  to  Fort  Duquesne,  and  there  gathering  some 
friendly  Indians  they  attacked  Washington  at  Fort  Necessity,  which 
was  surrendered  on  July  4th.  This  was  the  real  beginning  of  the  old 
French  war.  Flushed  with  victory,  the  little  detachment  returned  to 
Fort  Chartres,  and  celebrated  the  triumph  of  Illinois  over  Virginia. 

FORT  DUQUESNE  ABANDONED 

In  the  French  and  Indian  war  the  demand  upon  Makarty  at  Fort 
Chartres  for  men  and  provisions  became  incessant.  In  fact,  Fort 
Chartres  became  the  principal  base  of  supplies  in  the  West.  In  1755, 
Captain  Aubry  was  sent  to  re-enforce  Fort  Duquesne  with  400  men. 
The  fort  held  out  for  some  time,  but  later  Colonel  Washington  compelled 
its  abandonment. 

NEW  FORT  CHARTRES  PASSES  INTO  BRITISH  HANDS 

The  power  of  the  French  began  to  wane.  They  maintained  the 
struggle  gallantly,  however,  and  made  one  more  desperate  effort  to  raise 
the  siege  of  Fort  Niagara. .  They  failed.  The  flower  of  Fort  Chartres 
went  down  at  Niagara.  The  surrender  of  Canada  soon  followed,  but 
Fort  Chartres,  now  called  New  Fort  Chartres,  still  held  out  for  the 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  59 

French  king.     They  hoped  that  they  would  still  be  considered  with 
Louisiana,  and  remain  in  French  territory. 

Their  disappointment  was  bitter  when  they  learned  that  on  Febru- 
ary 10,  1763,  Louis  XV  had  ratified  the  treaty  transferring  them  to 
Great  Britain. 

ST.  Louis  FOUNDED  UNDER  A  MISAPPREHENSION 

While  the  French  at  Fort  Chartres  were  waiting  for  a  British  force 
to  take  possession,  Pierre  Laclede  arrived  from  New  Orleans  to  settle 
at  the  Illinois,  bringing  with  him  a  company  representing  merchants 
engaged  in  the  fur  trade.  Learning  of  the  treaty  of  cession  he  decided 
to  establish  his  post  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  which  he  still 
believed  to  be  French  soil.  He  selected  a  fine  bluff  sixty  miles  north  of 
Fort  Chartres  for  the  site  of  his  post,  and  returned  for  the  winter.  In 
the  spring  he  began  his  colony,  and  was  enthusiastic  over  its  prospects. 
Many  of  the  French  families  followed  him,  wishing  to  remain  under  the 
French  flag.  Their  disappointment  was  still  more  bitter  when  they 
learned  that  all  the  French  possessions  west  of  the  Mississippi  had  been 
ceded  to  Spain.  This  is  now  St.  Louis. 

LAST  FRENCH  STRONGHOLD  FALLS 

The  elder  St.  Ange,  who  had  been  at  Vincennes,  returned  to  take 
part  in  the  last  act.  Though  the  territory  had  been  transferred  to  King 
George,  the  white  flag  of  the  Bourbons  continued  to  fly  at  Fort  Chartres, 
the  last  place  in  America.  The  Indian  chief  Pontiac  was  another  power 
not  taken  into  confidence  at  the  treaty.  Pontiac  loved  the  French,  but 
detested  the  English.  When  the  English  companies,  under  Loftus,  Pit- 
man and  Morris,  respectively,  came  to  take  possession,  each  was  balked 
by  the  wily  red  man.  Chief  Pontiac  gathered  an  army  of  red  men  and 
proceeded  to  Fort  Chartres  where  he  met  St.  Ange,  and  boldly  proposed 
to  assist  him  in  repelling  the  English.  St.  Ange  plainly  told  him  that 
all  was  over,  and  advised  him  to  make  peace  with  the  English.  Fort 
Chartres  was  finally  surrendered  to  Captain  Stirling  on  October  10, 
1765.  The  red  cross  of  St.  George  replaced  the  lilies  of  France.  St. 
Ange  and  his  men  took  a  boat  for  St.  Louis,  and  there  enrolled  in  the 
garrison  under  the  Spanish,  which  St.  Ange  was  appointed  to  command. 


60  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

ENGLISH  JUDGES  SIT  AT  FORT  CHARTRES 

The  first  court  of  law  was  established  at  Fort  Chartres  in  December, 
1768,  Fort  Chartres  becoming  the  capital  of  the  British  province  west 
of  the  Alleghanies.  Colonel  Wilkins  had  assumed  command  under  a 
proclamation  from  General  Gage,  and  with  seven  judges  sat  at  Fort 
Chartres  to  administer  the  law  of  England.  After  the  surrender  by 
the  French  the  church  records  were  removed  to  Kaskaskia.  The  records 
of  the  old  French  court  were  also  removed  there. 

PONTIAC  BURIED  AT  ST.  Louis 

A  constant  warfare  had  been  kept  up  by  the  Indians,  until  Pontiac 
was  killed  near  Cahokia  by  an  Illinois  Indian.  Pontiac's  warriors 
pursued  the  Illinois  tribe  to  the  walls  of  Fort  Chartres,  where  many  of 
them  were  slain,  the  British  refusing  to  assist  them.  St.  Ange  recovered 
the  body  of  Pontiac,  and  it  was  buried  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the 
Southern  Hotel  in  St.  Louis,  a  memorial  plate  marking  the  place. 

LAST  OF  FORT  CHARTRES 

In  1772  high  water  swept  away  one  of  the  bastions,  and  a  part  of 
the  western  wall  of  Fort  Chartres.  The  British  took  refuge  at  Kas- 
kaskia, and  the  fort  was  never  occupied  again.  Congress,  in  1778, 
reserved  to  the  government  a  tract  one  mile  square,  of  which  the  fort 
was  the  center.  But  this  reservation  was  opened  to  entry  in  1849,  no 
provision  being  made  for  the  fort. 

KASKASKIA  TAKEN  BY  AMERICANS  UNDER  CLARK 

What  manner  of  military  rule  and  civil  government  the  English 
established  over  the  Illinois  country  has  been  described  in  general ;  their 
dominion  lasted  but  thirteen  years.  During  the  progress  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  it  became  evident  to  the  American  Colonies  that  the  cap- 
ture of  the  British  military  posts  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  was  a  step 
which  could  not  long  be  delayed,  and  Governor  Patrick  Henry,  in  behalf 
of  Virginia,  authorized  Lieutenant  Colonel  George  Rogers  Clark  to 
organize  an  expedition  for  that  purpose  in  January,  1778.  In  May,  with 
seven  companies  of  fifty  men  each  recruited  in  western  Virginia  and 
Kentucky,  he  commenced  his  journey  down  the  Monongahela  and  Ohio, 
and  in  the  following  month  disembarked  at  old  Fort  Massac,  ten  miles 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  61 

below  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee  Kiver  on  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio. 
He  hid  his  boats  in  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream  which  enters  the  Ohio 
from  Massac  County  a  short  distance  above  the  fort.  The  expedition 
now  made  preparations  to  march  overland  to  Kaskaskia,  about  a  hundred 
miles  distant.  Because  of  the  inefficiency  or  treachery  of  the  guides, 
the  expedition  did  not  reach  Kaskaskia  until  the  fourth  day  of  their 
departure  from  Fort  Massac,  at  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  Clark 
divided  his  army  into  two  divisions,  one  of  which  was  to  scatter  through- 
out the  town  and  keep  the  people  in  their  houses,  and  the  other,  which 
Clark  himself  commanded,  was  to  capture  the  fort  in  which  the  com- 
mander, Chevalier  de  Eocheblave,  was  asleep.  In  a  very  short  time  the 
task  was  finished  and  the  people  disarmed.  The  soldiers  were  instructed 
to  pass  up  and  down  the  streets,  and  those  who  could  speak  French  were 
to  inform  the  inhabitants  to  remain  within  their  houses.  The  Vir- 
ginians and  Kentuckians  were  in  the  meantime  keeping  up  an  unearthly 
yelling,  for  the  people  of  Kaskaskia  had  understood  that  Virginians  were 
more  savage  than  the  Indians  had  ever  been,  and  Clark  was  desirous 
that  they  should  retain  this  impression.  The  French  of  Kaskaskia 
called  the  Virginians  "Long  Knives." 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  the  principal  citizens  were  put  in  irons. 
Shortly  after  this  Father  Gibault  and  a  few  aged  men  came  to  Clark 
and  begged  the  privilege  of  holding  services  in  the  church,  that  they 
might  bid  one  another  goodbye  before  they  were  separated.  Clark  gave 
his  permission  in  a  very  crabbed  way.  The  church  bell  rang  out  over 
the  quiet  but  sad  village,  and  immediately  every  one  who  could  get  to 
church  did  so.  At  the  close  of  the  service  Father  Gibault  came  again 
with  some  old  men  to  beg  that  families  might  not  be  separated  and  that  • 
they  might  be  privileged  to  take  some  of  their  personal  effects  with 
them  for  their  support.  Clark  then  explained  to  the  priest  that  Ameri- 
cans did  not  make  war  on  women  and  children,  but  that  it  was  only  to 
protect  their  own  wives  and  children  that  they  had  come  to  this  strong- 
hold of  British  and  Indian  barbarity.  He  went  further  and  told  them 
that  the  French  king  and  the  Americans  had  just  made  a  treaty  of  alli- 
ance and  that  it  was  the  desire  of  their  French  father  that  they  should 
join  their  interests  with  the  Americans.  This  had  a  wonderfully  con- 
ciliatory effect  upon  the  French.  And  now  Clark  told  them  they  were  at 
perfect  liberty  to  conduct  themselves  as  usual.  His  influence  had  been  so 
powerful  that  they  were  all  induced  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
state  of  Virginia.  Their  arms  were  given  back  to  them  and  a  volunteer 
company  of  French  militiamen  was  formed. 

Kaskaskia  was  captured  on  July  4,  1778.     On  the  morning  of  the 


62  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

5th  occurred  the  incident  previously  referred  to,  relative  to  the  conduct 
of  the  priest.  Evidently  very  early  in  the  day,  quiet  was  restored  and 
better  relations  were  established  between  captors  and  captives.  The 
treaty  of  alliance  between  France  and  the  United  States  was  explained, 
and  immediately  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Virginia  was  taken  by  the 
people.  On  the  same  5th  of  July  an  expedition  was  planned  for  the 
capture  of  Cahokia.  Captain  Bowman  with  his  company,  or  probably 
a  portion  of  it,  and  a  detachment  of  the  French  militia  under  French 
officers,  together  with  a  number  of  Kaskaskia  citizens,  made  up  the  army. 
Eeynolds  says  they  rode  French  ponies.  The  distance  was  sixty  miles 
and  the  trip  was  made  by  the  afternoon  of  the  6th.  At  first  the  people 
of  Cahokia  were  greatly  agitated  and  cried  "Long  Knives!"  "Long 
Knives!"  But  the  Kaskaskia  citizens  soon  quieted  them  and  explained 
what  had  happened  at  Kaskaskia  only  two  days  before.  The  fort  at 
Cahokia  may  have  contained  a  few  British  soldiers  or  some  French 
militia.  In  either  case  they  quietly  surrendered.  The  oath  of  alle- 
giance was  administered  to  the  people  and  the  citizens  returned  to 
Kaskaskia. 

BLOODLESS  CAPTURE  OF  VINCENNES 

For  the  first  few  days  of  Clark's  stay  in  Kaskaskia  he  and  his  meu 
talked  about  the  fort  at  the  falls  of  Ohio  and  of  a  detachment  of  soldiers 
they  were  expecting  from  there  every  day.  This  was  done  for  the 
purpose  of  making  an  impression  upon  the  people  of  Kaskaskia.  Clark 
was  a  shrewd  diplomatist,  as  well  as  a  good  soldier,  and  he  suspected 
that  Father  Gibault  was  at  heart  on  the  side  of  the  Americans.  By 
conversation  Clark  learned  that  the  priest  was  the  regular  shepherd  of 
the  flock  at  Vincennes,  and  evidently  had  very  great  influence  with  the 
people  there.  Clark  therefore  talked  of  his  expedition  against  Vincennes 
from  the  fort  at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio.  Father  Gibault  then  told  Clark 
that  while  the  post  at  Vincennes  was  a  very  strong  one  and  that  there 
were  usually  many  Indians  about  that  place,  just  at  this  time,  the 
lieutenant  governor  or  commandant,  Edward  Abbot,  was  not  at  Vin- 
cennes but  was  in  Detroit.  He  also  told  Clark  that  there  were  no 
soldiers  there  except  probably  a  few  citizen-officers  and  that  he  had  no 
doubt,  if  the  people  there  knew  the  real  nature  of  the  conflict  between 
England  and  the  colonies  and  that  France  had  joined  against  the  hated 
British,  there  would  be  no  opposition  to  Clark  and  his  purposes.  The 
priest  further  suggested  that  he  himself  would  head  an  embassy  to 
Post  Vincennes  for  the  purpose  of  attempting  to  secure  the  allegiance 
of  the  people  there  to  the  American  cause. 


HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  63 

This  was  the  most  cheering  word  that  had  come  to  Clark  in  all  his 
first  days  at  Kaskaskia.  An  expedition  was  immediately  planned.  The 
priest  should  be  accompanied  by  a  citizen  of  Kaskaskia,  Doctor  John 
Baptiste  Lafont.  The  two  gentlemen  were  accompanied  by  several 
attendants,  among  whom  was  a  spy  who  had  secret  instructions  from 
Clark. 

They  departed  the  14th  of  July,  and  reached  Vincennes  safely. 
The  priest  had  no  difficulty  in  making  it  clear  to  the  people  that  France 
was  on  the  side  of  the  Americans.  The  commander,  Governor  Abbot, 
had  recently  gone  to  Detroit,  and  there  was  no  one  in  military  com- 
mand. They  all  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Virginia.  They  also 
organized  a  militia  company  and  took  possession  of  the  fort,  over  which 
the  flag  of  Virginia  floated,  much  to  the  wonder  of  the  Indians.  The 
Indians  were  told  that  the  old  French  king,  their  father,  had  come  to 
life,  and  if  they  did  not  want  the  land  to  be  bloody  with  war  they  must 
make  peace  with  the  Americans. 

August  1st  Father  Gibault  and  his  companions  returned  to  Kaskaskia 
and  reported  the  success  of  their  mission. 

Clark  was  busy  just  then  reorganizing  his  little  army.  The  term 
of  enlistment  of  the  soldiers  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  he  saw  that 
unless  he  could  re-enlist  his  men,  all  the  good  that  had  been  accom- 
plished would  go  for  naught.  Clark  succeeded  in  re-enlisting  about  a 
hundred  of  his  little  army  while  the  rest  were  to  be  mustered  out  at 
the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  their  places  being  filled  with  enlistments  from  the 
French  militia.  Captain  Bowman  was  made  military  commandant  at 
Cahokia,  Captain  Williams  had  charge  at  Kaskaskia,  Captain  Helm  was 
sent  to  Vincennes  to  take  charge,  Captain  Linn  was  sent  with  the  soldiers 
who  did  not  re-enlist  to  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  and  Captain  Montgomery 
was  sent  with  Chevalier  de  Rocheblave  and  dispatches,  to  Williamsburg. 
It  had  been  Colonel  Clark's  intention  to  treat  with  great  consideration 
his  distinguished  captive,  but  M.  Rocheblave  behaved  so  rudely  that  he 
was  sent  a  prisoner  to  Virginia,  his  slaves  were  confiscated  and  sold  for 
500  pounds  sterling  and  the  money  distributed  among  the  soldiers. 

Colonel  Clark  by  early  fall  restored  order  and  obedience  in  all  the 
Illinois  country.  He  soon  found  the  need  of  civil  courts.  The  courts 
established  by  Wilkins  under  the  British  occupation  had  not  been  put 
in  operation.  Rocheblave  had  given  little  if  any  attention  to  civil 
administration.  Colonel  Clark  made  inquiry  as  to  the  customs  and 
usages  of  the  people  and  decided  to  organize  courts  for  the  adjustment 
of  claims  and  disputes.  Accordingly  Captain  Bowman  held  an  election 
in  Cahokia,  at  which  the  citizens  voted  and  elected  judges,  one  of  whom 


64  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

was  Captain  Bowman.  Later,,  judges  were  elected  at  Kaskaskia  and  at 
Vincennes.  Colonel  Clark  himself  constituted  the  appellate  court,  and 
from  a  letter  afterward  written  to  Jefferson  he  must  have  been  quite 
busy  in  this  line  of  work,  for  he  says,  referring  to  this  matter  of  being 
relieved  from  civil  duties:  "The  civil  department  of  the  Illinois  had 
heretofore  robbed  me  of  too  much  of  my  time  that  ought  to  be  spent  in 
military  reflection.  I  was  now  likely  to  be  relieved  by  Col.  John  Todd. 
I  was  anxious  for  his  arrival  and  happy  in  his  appointment,  as  the 
greatest  intimacy  and  friendship  has  subsisted  between  us.  I  now  saw 
myself  rid  of  a  piece  of  trouble  that  I  had  no  delight  in."  This  extract 
is  from  a  letter  written  by  Clark  to  Jefferson  when  he  heard  that 
CoJ.  John  Todd  had  been  selected  to  administer  civil  government  in  the 
Illinois  country. 

VIRGINIA  CREATES  COUNTY  OF  ILLINOIS 

The  people  of  Virginia  were  soon  aware  of  the  success  of  the  Clark 
expedition.  The  common  people  were,  of  course,  greatly  surprised,  and 
the  officials  who  had  stood  back  of  the  enterprise  were  greatly  relieved 
and  delighted.  The  legislature  in  session  in  October  took  steps  to  extend 
civil  government  over  the  newly  conquered  'country. 

In  October,  1778,  the  legislature  of  Virginia  took  the  following 
action  creating  the  county  of  Illinois:  "All  the  citizens  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  Virginia  who  are  already  settled  or  shall  hereafter  settle 
on  the  western  side  of  the  Ohio  shall  be  included  in  a  distinct  county, 
which  shall  be  called  Illinois  County ;  and  the  governor  of  this  common- 
wealth with  the  advice  of  the  council  may  appoint  a  county  lieutenant 
or  commander-in-chief,  during  pleasure,  who  shall  appoint  and  com- 
mission as  many  deputy  commandants,  militia  officers,  and  commissaries, 
as  he  shall  think  proper  in  the  different  districts,  during  pleasure;  all 
of  whom,  before  they  enter  into  office  shall  take  the  oath  of  fidelity  to 
this  commonwealth  and  the  oath  of  office,  according  to  the  form  of  their 
own  religion. 

"And  all  civil  officers  to  which  the  inhabitants  have  been  accustomed 
necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the  peace,  and  the  administration  of 
justice,  shall  be  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the  citizens  in  their  respective 
districts  to  be  convened  for  that  purpose  by  the  county  lieutenant  or 
commandant,  or  his  deputy,  and  shall  be  commissioned  by  the  said 
county  lieutenant  or  commander-in-chief." 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  law  creating  the  county  of 
Illinois  west  of  the  Ohio  River,  the  governor  of  Virginia,  Patrick  Henry, 


HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  Co 

appointed  John  Todd,  Esq.,  a  judge  of  the  Kentucky  court,  as  county 
lieutenant  or  commander-in-chief  of  the  newly  created  county. 

His  commission  bears  date  of  December  12,  1778,  but  he  did  not 
arrive  in  Illinois  County  until  May,  1779.  Clark  had  returned  from 
his  campaign,  and  capture  of  Vincennes.  It  is  stated  that  Colonel 
Todd  was  received  with  great  joy  by  the  citizens  of  Kaskaskia.  He  was 
no  stranger  to  many  about  the  village,  for  he  had  come  with  Clark  in 
the  campaign  of  1778,  when  the  Illinois  country  was  captured  from 
the  British.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  soldier  with  Clark  and  to  have 
been  the  first  to  enter  the  fort  which  Eocheblave  surrendered.  Be  that 
as  it  may,  he  arrived  now  with  the  authority  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Virginia  behind  him.  On  June  15,  1779,  he  issued  a  proclamation 
which  provided  that  no  more  settlements  should  be  made  in  the  bottom 
lands,  and  further  that  each  person  to  whom  grants  had  been  made  must 
report  his  claim  to  the  proper  officer  and  have  his  land  recorded.  If 
his  land  had  come  to  him  through  transfers,  then  all  such  transfers 
must  be  recorded  and  certified  to.  This  was  done  to  prevent  those 
adventurers  who  would  shortly  come  into  the  country  from  dispossessing 
the  rightful  owners  of  those  lands. 

CONDITION  OF  ILLINOIS  WHEN  TODD  ARRIVED 

The  country  to  which  Colonel  John  Todd  came  as  county-lieutenant 
was  in  a  very  discouraging  condition.  It  had  reached  the  maximum  of 
prosperity  about  the  time  the  French  turned  it  over  to  the  English  in 
1765.  Very  many  of  the  French  went  to  New  Orleans  or  to  St.  Louis 
during  the  British  regime.  The  English  king  had  attempted  to  keep 
out  the  immigrant.  The  cultivation  of  the  soil  was  sadly  neglected. 
The  few  French  who  remained  were  engaged  in  trading  with  the  Indians. 
Many  came  to  be  expert  boatmen.  Trade  was  brisk  between  the  French 
settlements  in  the  Illinois  country  and  New  Orleans. 

Previous  to  the  coming  of  Clark  and  the  French  gentlemen,  Chevalier 
de  Rocheblave,  who  was  holding  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  British 
government,  had  been  not  only  neglectful  but  really  very  obstinate  and 
self-willed  about  carrying  on  civil  affairs.  He  allowed  the  courts, 
organized  by  Colonel  Wilkins,  to  fall  into  disuse.  The  merchants  and 
others  who  had  need  for  courts  found  little  satisfaction  in  attempts  to 
secure  justice.  During  the  time  between  the  coming  of  Clark  and  of 
Todd,  there  were  courts  organized,  but  the  military  operations  were  so 
overshadowing  that  probably  little  use  was  made  of  them. 

1—5 


66  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

MILITARY  AND  CIVIL  PERSONNEL 

It  appears  from  the  records  of  Colonel  Todd  that  on  the  14th  of 
May,  1779,  he  organized  the  military  department  of  his  work,  by  appoint- 
ing the  officers  of  the  militia  at  Kaskaskia,  Prairie  du  Rocher,  and 
Cahokia.  Richard  Winston,  Jean  B.  Barbeau,  and  Francois  Trotier 
were  made  commandants  and  captains  in  the  three  villages  respectively. 

The  next  step  was  to  elect  judges  provided  for  in  the  act  creating  the 
county  of  Illinois.  Judges  were  elected  at  Cahokia,  Kaskaskia,  and  at 
Vincennes,  and  court  was  held  monthly.  There  seems  to  have  been  a 
scarcity  of  properly  qualified  men  for  the  places  as  in  many  instances 
militia  officers  were  elected  judges,  and  in  one  case  the  "deputy-com- 
mandant at  Kaskaskia  filled  also  the  office  of  sheriff." 

Todd  issued  permits  or  charters  of  trade  and  encouraged  those  about 
him  to  engage  in  business.  He  also  gave  attention  to  the  subject  of 
land-claims.  No  new  claims  were  to  be  recognized  except  such  as  were 
made  according  to  the  custom  of  the  French  and  inhabitants. 

Colonel  Todd  found  enough  work  to  keep  him  busy  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  it  was  all  as  pleasant  as  he  might  have  wished.  The  records  which 
he  kept,  and  which  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  show  that  severe  penalties  were  inflicted  in  those  days. 

Colonel  Todd  held  this  position  of  county-lieutenant  for  about  three 
years.  During  that  time  he  established  courts,  held  popular  elections, 
and  executed  the  law  with  vigor. 

There  was  a  deputy  county-lieutenant  or  deputy-commandant  in  each 
village,  and  when  Colonel  Todd  was  absent,  the  reins  of  government 
were  in  the  hands  of  one  of  these  deputies.  On  the  occasion  of  his 
absence  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  left,  it  seems,  Timothy  Demount- 
brun  as  county  lieutenant.  This  man  seems  to  have  been  the  only  one 
authorized  to  rule,  until  the  coming  of  St.  Clair  in  1790. 

AMERICAN  CIVIL  GOVERNMENT  NORTHWEST  OF  THE  OHIO 

Virginia  ceded  her  western  lands  in  1783,  in  the  following  year 
Congress  passed  an  ordinance  which  established  a  preliminary  form  of 
civil  government  north  of  the  Ohio;  in  1785  a  national  system  of  surveys 
was  adopted,  and  in  1787  was  passed  the  famous  Ordinance  of  1787  by 
which  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  was  "made  one  district  for 
temporary  government  and  provision  made  for  a  definite  form  of  gov- 
ernment." The  first  county  created  by  Governor  St.  Clair,  in  July  of 
that  year,  was  Washington,  with  Marietta  the  seat  of  government.  In 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  67 

January,  1788,  the  governor  and  the  newly  appointed  judges  visited 
Losantiville  (Cincinnati)  and  created  the  county  of  Hamilton,  with  that 
place  as  the  seat  of  government.  Then  the  governor  and  secretary 
proceeded  westward  and,  reaching  Kaskaskia  on  March  5,  1790,  erected 
the  county  of  St.  Clair,  with  Cahokia  as  the  county  seat.  On  their 
return  to  Marietta,  Knox  County  was  organized,  with  Vincennes  as  the 
county  seat. 

OLD  ST.  CLAIR  COUNTY 

The  St.  Clair  County  thus  established  included  all  the  territory  north 
and  east  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers,  and  west 
of  a  line  running  from  Fort  Massac  through  the  mouth  of  the  Mackinaw 
Creek  a  short  distance  below  the  city  of  Peoria.  The  county  was  divided 
into  three  districts,  with  Kaskaskia,  Prairie  du  Kocher  and  Cahokia  as 
centers  of  administration.  Before  leaving,  Governor  St.  Clair  created 
the  offices  of  sheriff,  judges  of  the  court,  probate  judge,  justice  of  the 
peace,  coroner,  notary,  clerk  and  recorder,  surveyor  and  various  military 
officers,  and  named  the  appointees. 

THE  COUNTY  DIVIDED 

In  1795,  Judge  Turner,  one  of  the  three  Federal  judges,  came  to 
hold  court,  and  from  a  contention  which  he  had  with  the  governor, 
St.  Clair  County  was  divided  by  a  line  running  east  and  west  through 
New  Design.  Cahokia  was  established  as  the  county  seat  of  the  north 
half,  or  St.  Clair  County,  and  Kaskaskia,  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
south  half,  Eandolph  County. 

LEGISLATURE  OF  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY 

The  Ordinance  of  1787  provided  that  when  there  should  be  5,000 
free  male  whites  of  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  in  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory they  might  organize  a  legislature  on  the  basis  of  one  representative 
for  each  500  whites  of  the  age  of  twenty-one.  This  was  done  in  the  year 
1798.  Shadrach  Bond  was  elected  to  represent  St.  Clair  County  and 
John  Edgar,  Randolph  County.  The  legislature  met  at  Cincinnati  on 
the  4th  of  February,  1799.  There  were  twenty-two  members  in  the 
lower  house,  representing  eleven  counties.  William  H.  Harrison,  who 
had  succeeded  Sargent  as  secretary  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  was 
elected  a  delegate  to  congress. 


.\U|i  .j|  il.t    UNITED    STATES  .  CANADA  H-r .  ,nt,n,M  If  ittuslmtr  lAr  Tr.ivrU  ,•<••//,•  Duty  .1.-  |j  l;..rli.-linu  .mil  Lunf 


THE  UNITED  STATES  IN  1798 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  69 

DIVISION  IKTO  Two  TERRITORIES 

In  the  session  of  congress  in  the  winter  of  1799-1800,  the  proposition 
to  divide  the  Northwest  Territory  into  two  territories  was  referred  to  a 
committee  of  which  Harrison  was  chairman.  The  report  was  favorably 
received  by  congress  and  on  the  7th  of  May,  1800,  an  act  was  passed 
dividing  the  Northwest  Territory  by  a  line  runing  from  the  Ohio  to 
Fort  Eecovery  and  thence  to  the  line  separating  the  territory  from 
Canada. 

The  western  part  was  to  be  known  as  the  Indiana  Territory  and  its 
government  was  to  be  of  the  first  class.  Its  capital  was  located  at 
Vincennes  and  the  governor  was  William  Henry  Harrison.  The  eastern 
division  was  called  the  Northwest  Territory,  its  capital  was  Chillicothe, 
and  Governor  St.  Clair  was  still  the  chief  executive.  The  east  division 
was  admitted  as  a  state  February  19,  1802.  Illinois,  Indiana,  Wis- 
consin, and  Michigan  now  became  the  Indiana  Territory. 

ILLINOIS  TERRITORY  CREATED 

Illinois  remained  a  portion  of  Indiana  Territory  from  February,  1802, 
until  February,  1809.  During  that  period  Vincennes  was  the  capital. 
The  congressional  act  of  February  3',  1809,  set  off  the  territory  of  Illinois 
from  Indiana  by  a  dividing  line  running  north  from  Vincennes  to 
Canada.  A  prominent  argument  in  favor  of  the  division  was  that  the 
people  in  the  Illinois  region  were  favorable  to  slavery,  while  the  Indiana 
people  were  indifferent  to  the  subject.  Several  efforts  had  been  made  to 
either  strike  out  the  clause  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787  forbidding  slavery 
within  the  Northwest  Territory,  or  suspend  its  operation  for  a  stated 
period. 

By  the  creative  act,  Illinois  was  made  a  territory  of  the  first  class, 
and  thus  remained  until  May,  1812,  when,  under  authority  of  the 
Ordinance  of  1787,  it  entered  the  second  class,  thus  enfranchising  all 
males  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  instead  of  allowing  only  freeholders 
to  vote.  Ninian  Edwards,  formerly  a  Kentucky  judge,  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  new  territory,  and  Nathaniel  Pope  secretary,  on  April 
24,  1809.  Mr.  Pope  was  a  resident  of  St.  Genevieve,  Missouri,  but  prac- 
ticed law  in  Illinois. 

Illinois  as  a  territory  did  not  participate  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe, 
or  the  War  of  1812,  but  Governor  Edwards  left  nothing  undone  to 
protect  its  soil  against  Indian  depredations  or  British  expeditions.  Not 
a  few  soldiers  and  officers,  however,  went  from  the  "American  bottom," 


70  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

and  it  is  estimated  that  fully  two  thousand  Illinoisans  participated  in 
this  border  warfare.  The  apprehension  of  the  settlers  in  the  valleys  of 
the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  were  intensified  by  the  Fort  Dearborn 
massacre. 

In  September,  1812,  following  the  advancement  of  Illinois  to  a 
territory  of  the  second  class,  Governor  Edwards  and  the  judges,  acting 
as  a  legislative  body,  created  three  new  counties.  The  two  old  ones 
were  St.  Clair  and  Eandolph,  and  the  three  new  ones  were  Madison, 
Gallatin,  and  Johnson.  On  the  same  day  an  election  was  ordered  in 
these  five  "counties  for  five  members  of  the  legislative  council,  and  for 
seven  members  of  the  house  of  representatives,  and  for  a  delegate  in 
congress.  The  election  was  held  October  8,  9  and  10.  Those  chosen 
were,  for  the  lower  house:  from  Madison,  William  Jones;  St.  Clair, 
Jacob  Short  and  Joshua  Oglesby ;  Eandolph,  George  Fisher ;  Johnson, 
John  Grammar;  Gallatin,  Philip  Trammel  and  Alexander  Wilson. 
Those  chosen  for  the  council  were:  from  Madison,  Samuel  Judy;  St. 
Clair,  William  Biggs;  Eandolph,  Pierre  Menard;  Johnson,  Thomas 
Ferguson;  Gallatin,  Benjamin  Talbot. 

Under  the  second-class  form  of  government  the  legislature  met 
biennially.  In  the  summer  of  1814  Col.  Benjamin  Stephenson  was 
elected  delegate  in  congress,  and  in  1816  Nathaniel  Pope,  who  served 
till  the  admission  of  the  state  in  1818.  Two  new  counties  were  added 
in  1815,  White  and  Edwards,  making  seven  in  all.  In  1816  four  more 
were  added — Monroe,  Jackson,  Pope  and  Crawford.  In  1817  Bond  was 
added,  and  in  1818  Franklin,  Union  and  Washington  were  created,  these 
making  fifteen  counties  at  the  admission  of  the  state  in  1818. 

The  general  assembly  of  1812  met  at  Kaskaskia  November  25th,  and 
proceeded  to  organize  by  choosing  Pierre  Menard  president  of  the  Council 
and  George  Fisher,  speaker  of  the  House.  It  is  said  the  whole  of  the 
assembly  boarded  at  one  house  and  slept  in  one  room.  The  work  before 
this  first  session  was  to  re-enact  the  laws  for  the  territory  which  served 
while  the  territory  was  of  the  first  class,  to  adopt  military  measures 
for  the  defense  of  the  people  against  the  Indians,  and  to  provide  revenue 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  Territorial  Government.  The  legislature  was 
in  session  from  the  25th  of  November  to  the  26th  of  December,  following. 

FIRST  ILLINOIS  PREEMPTION  LAW 

This  legislature  elected  Shadrach  Bond  as  delegate  to  congress.  He 
took  his  seat  in  the  fall  of  1812.  During  his  term  of  office  in  congress 
Bond  secured  the  passage  of  the  first  preemption  law  of  Illinois.  This 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  71 

law  provided  that  a  man  who  settled  upon  a  piece  of  land  and  made 
an  improvement  while  it  was  still  government  land,  should  hav.e  the 
right  to  buy  the  tract  so  improved  in  preference  to  anyone  else.  The 
law  prevented  persons  from  buying  land  which  someone  else  had 
improved  to  the  detriment  of  the  one  who  made  the  improvement. 

The  wave  of  immigration  often  traveled  westward  faster  than  the 
surveyors  did.  In  such  cases  the  settler  never  knew  just  where  his  land 
would  fall  when  the  region  was  platted.  And  again,  after  the  surveyor 
had  done  his  work,  it  often  happened  that  the  surveyed  land  was  not 
placed  on  the  market  for  a  number  of  years.  The  settler  usually  selected 
his  lands  and  made  improvements  with  the  expectation  that  he  would 
buy  the  land  when  it  came  on  the  market.  Unprincipled  men  would 
watch  and  would  often  step  in  ahead  of  the  settler  at  the  land  office 
and  buy  the  improved  land  at  government  prices.  This  often  resulted 
in  violence  and  bloodshed.  So  the  Bond  law  was  a  real  peacemaker. 

There  was  a  rapid  increase  in  the  population  of  the  territory  of 
Illinois  from  the  day  it  became  a  territory  of  the  second  grade.  New 
counties  were  added  to  the  five  previously  named.  The  new  ones  were 
Edwards  and  White  in  1815;  Monroe,  Crawford,  Jackson,  Pope,  Bond, 
in  1816;  Union,  Franklin  and  Washington  in  1818. 

FIRST  STATE  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION 

The  Enabling  Act  became  a  law  the  18th  of  April,  1818.  The  elec- 
tion of  delegates  to  the  constitutional  convention  was  fixed  for  the  first 
Monday  in  July,  and  that  body  was  to  convene  the  first  Monday  in 
August.  But  the  first  thing  to  do  was  to  take  the  census  of  the  terri- 
tory, and  if  it  did  not  have  the  forty  thousand  then  there  would  be  no 
need  for  the  convention.  It  was  soon  evident  that  the  territory  did  not 
have  the  required  number.  The  story  is  told  that  the  marshal  stationed 
his  enumerators  on  the  public  highways  and  counted  the  travelers  and 
immigrants,  regardless  of  their  destination.  Not  only  this,  but  it  is 
asserted  that  often  the  same  traveller  or  immigrant  was  counted  twice 
or  even  thrice.  At  last  the  enumerators  returned  forty  thousand  inhab- 
itants, but  as  the  returns  were  afterward  footed  up  there  were  really  only 
thirty-four  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty  people  in  the  proposed 
state.  The  delegates  were  duly  elected  and  assembled  at  Kaskaskia  on 
the  first  Monday  in  August. 

The  convention  met  August  3,  1818,  and  finished  its  labors  and 
adjourned  August  26th.  Jesse  B.  Thomas  from  St.  Clair  County  was 
elected  chairman,  and  William  C.  Greenup  was  made  secretary. 


72  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

STATE  MACHINERY  IK  MOTION 

The  constitution  was  not  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification  and 
the  only  officers  whom  the  people  might  elect  were :  Governor,  lieutenant 
governor,  members  of  the  general  assembly,  sheriffs  and  coroners.  The 
offices  which  were  filled  by  appointment  of  either  the  governor  or  the 
general  assembly  were:  Judges  of  the  supreme,  circuit  and  probate 
courts;  prosecuting  attorney,  county  clerk,  circuit  clerk,  recorder,  justice 
of  the  peace,  auditor  of  public  accounts,  attorney  general  and  secretary 
of  state. 

The  day  fixed  by  the  constitution  for  the  election  of  state  officers 
was  the  third  Thursday  (17th)  of  September,  1818,  when  Shadrach  Bond 
was  chosen  governor,  Pierre  Menard,  lieutenant  governor,  and  John 
McLean,  representative  in  Congress.  There  were  also  elected  fourteen 
senators  and  twenty-nine  representatives. 

The  legislature  was  called  to  meet  at  Kaskaskia  the  first  Monday  in 
October  (the  5th).  The  first  thing  for  this  legislature  was  the  canvass 
of  the  votes,  and  on  Tuesday  (the  6th),  Governor  Bond  was  inaugurated. 
The  legislature  proceeded  to  the  election  of  two  United  States  senators. 
The  choice  fell  upon  Ninian  Edwards  and  Jesse  B.  Thomas.  The  Legis- 
lature chose  the  following  state  officers :  state  treasurer,  John  Thomas ; 
auditor,  Elijah  C.  Berry;  attorney  general,  Daniel  P.  Clark;  supreme 
judges,  Joseph  Phillips,  chief  justice,  William  P.  Foster,  Thomas  C. 
Brown,  and  John  Eeynolds.  The  governor  appointed  Elias  Kent  Kane 
secretary  of  state. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1818  the  governor  did  not  have  the  veto 
power  as  a  sole  prerogative.  It  was  exercised  by  him  in  conjunction 
with  the  Supreme  Court,  the  joint  body  being  known  as  the  Council  of 
Revision.  It  abolished  imprisonment  for  debt;  declared  against  the 
introduction  of  slavery  and  the  indenture  of  anybody  except  on  condi- 
tion of  a  bona  fide  consideration.  The  constitution  did  not  affect  the 
slaves  held  by  the  French  and  their  descendants.  Provision  was,  how- 
ever, made  that  slaves  hired  in  slave  states  could  be  brought  into  the 
salt  works  at  Shawneetown  and  held  for  one  year ;  then  hired  again  for 
a  like  period;  but  even  this  traffic  must  cease  by  1825.  Of  course,  the 
constitution  provided  for  the  regular  division  of  the  government  into 
legislative,  executive  and  judicial  department?,  and  the  election  or 
appointment  of  the  officials  designed  to  fulfill  their  function?. 

Governor  Bond  was  elected  without  opposition,  largely  on  the 
strength  of  his  authorship  of  the  Preemption  Act  while  serving  as  a 
territorial  delegate  to  Congress. 


HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  73 

Following  the  announcement  of  the  acceptance  of  the  constitution  by 
Congress,  Governor  Bond  called  the  Legislature  in  special  session  for 
January  4,  1819.  The  machinery  of  the  first  state  government  was  thus 
set  in  motion.  In  his  short  and  unassuming  message  the  governor 
recommended  the  early  completion  of  the  canal  connecting  the  head 
waters  of  the  Illinois  Kiver  with  Lake  Michigan;  the  passage  of  measures 
to  relieve  the  state  treasury,  and  a  modification  of  the  criminal  laws 
in  force  during  the  territorial  period.  But  the  Legislature  went  ahead, 
in  its  own  way,  and  passed  such  measures  as  a  code  of  laws  based  on  the 
Virginia  and  Kentucky  statutes;  levying  taxes  on  lands  owned  by  non- 
residents, and  on  slaves  and  indentured  servants,  and  moving  the 
capital  from  Kaskaskia  to  a  point  on  the  Kaskaskia  River,  east  of  the 
third  principal  meridian,  as  well  as  asking  Congress  to  donate  lands  for 
the  purpose. 

ILLINOIS  BLACK  CODE 

The  Legislature  of  1819  also  passed  the  Illinois  Black  Code,  entitled 
"An  Act  Respecting  Free  Negroes,  Mulattoes,  Servants  and  Slaves." 
The  Black  Laws,  as  they  were  generally  called,  remained  upon  the  statute 
books  of  Illinois  until  February  12,  1853,  and  were  therefore  in  force 
throughout  Champaign  County  for  about  twenty  years  from  its  organiza- 
tion. They  comprised  twenty-five  sections,  and  were  copied  from  old 
laws  in  force  during  the  territorial  period  and  originating  in  the  old 
slave  states. 

ILLINOIS  COUNTIES  IN  1818 

When  Illinois  became  a  State  in  1818,  it  was  only  the  southernmost 
counties  which  were  fully  organized.  Substantially  they  embraced  the 
territory  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio  rivers  south  of  a  line 
drawn  east  and  west  bounding  St.  Clair  and  Washington  on  the  north, 
cutting  off  a  northern  tier  of  sections  in  Marion  County  of  today,  passing 
through  nearly  the  center  of  Clay  County  and  the  upper  third  of  Rich- 
land  and  east  and  southeast  through  Lawrence  County  to  the  Ohio. 
That  area  was  then  divided  into  St.  Clair,  Washington,  Edwards,  Ran- 
dolph, Monroe,  Jackson,  Franklin,  Gallatin,  Union,  Johnson  and  Pope. 
The  remainder,  and  by  far  the  larger  portion  of  Illinois,  was  divided 
into  Madison,  Bond  and  Crawford  counties.  The  last  named  embraced 
more  than  thirty  of  the  counties  now  included  in  eastern,  northeastern 
and  central  Illinois,  and  stretching  from  Crawford,  Jasper,  Effingham 
and  Fayette  counties  on  the  south  to  the  Wisconsin  state  line.  The 
present  county  of  Champaign  was  just  southeast  of  the  center  of  this  vast 
unorganized  country. 


74  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

NEW  CAPITAL,  VANDALIA 

The  Legislature  of  1819  appointed  five  commissioners  to  locate  the 
gift  of  lands  made  by  Congress  as  the  site  of  a  new  capital.  They 
selected  four  sections  immediately  west  of  the  Kaskaskia  River,  and 
completed  a  two-story  frame  building  as  a  capitol  so  that  it  was  ready 
for  the  Legislature  in  the  summer  of  1820.  When  that  body  convened 
in  December,  of  that  year,  it  met  in  the  new  capital  city  of  Vandalia. 

EARLY  PERIOD  OF  WILD-CAT  BANKING 

The  second  General  Assembly,  which  met  at  Vandalia,  attempted  to 
relieve  the  hard  times  prevalent  in  the  state,  especially  caused  by  the 
matured  debts  of  land  owners  who  had  bought  recklessly  in  years  past, 
by  chartering  the  Illinois  State  Bank,  with  headquarters  at  Vandalia 
and  branches  at  Edwardsville,  Brownsville,  Shawneetown  and  Albion. 
Bills  of  various  denominations  were  issued  on  personal  and  real  estate 
securities,  and  the  State  Senate  passed  a  resolution  asking  the  secretary 
of  the  treasury  to  accept  the  bills  in  payment  of  land.  But  its  recom- 
mendation was  not  followed  by  the  state  treasury.  Notwithstanding 
which,  the  State  Branch  and  all  its  branches  withered,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  its  charter  in  1831  the  commonwealth  borrowed  $100,000 
in  order  to  close  up  its  business  in  an  honorable  way.  It  is  fitting  to 
remark  that  Governor  Bond  and  the  State  Supreme  Court,  acting  as 
the  Board  of  Revision,  had  vetoed  the  original  measure,  and  that  the 
Legislature  passed  it  over  their  earnest  objections. 

This  season  of  wild-cat  banking,  which  so  disturbed  every  legitimate 
business  and  agricultural  interest  in  Illinois,  had  but  an  indirect  effect 
upon  the  development  of  Champaign  County,,  as  permanent  settlement 
had  only  fairly  commenced  during  the  later  period  of  its  operations. 

At  the  second  session  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  the  first  held  at 
Vandalia,  several  new  counties  were  created — Lawrence,  Greene,  Sanga- 
mon,  Pike,  Hamilton,  Montgomery  and  Fayette.  Chicago  was  then  in 
Pike  County. 

THE  SLAVERY  ISSUE  (1822-24) 

The  slavery  issue  in  Illinois  was  a  burning  question  in  the  Coles 
administration  in  1822-24,  but  it  culminated  in  the  fall  of  the  latter 
year  in  a  decided  popular  vote  against  reopening  the  matter  by  calling 
a  convention  to  consider  a  revision  of  the  state  constitution  in  regards 
to  its  pronunciamento  against  the  continuation  of  the  institution.  With 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  75 

the  exception  of  Union  and  Johnson,  all  the  southern  counties,  where 
black  labor  was  most  in  demand,  favored  the  calling  of  the  convention. 

The  stronghold  of  the  anti-slavery  sentiment  was  that  wonderfully 
fertile  and  charming  Sangamon  region,  which  lay  along  the  valley  of 
that  river  and  stretched  from  the  southern  rim  of  the  valley  of  the 
Illinois  toward  the  central  regions  of  the  state.  It  was  rapidly  settling 
up,  and  a  few  of  the  more  adventurous  had  even  "squatted"  on  choice 
timber  tracts  along  the  headwaters  of  the  Sangamon. 

THE  FAMOUS  SANGAMON  COUNTRY 

The  Sangamon  region  was  settled  by  immigrants  from  all  the  older 
states  but  probably  those  from  the  northern  states  predominated.  More 
than  two  hundred  families  had  settled  in  the  Sangamon  country  before 
the  land  was  surveyed.  In  the  vote  on  the  convention  question,  Sanga- 
mon County  cast  875  votes — 153  for  and  722  against,  the  convention, 
This  would  show  a  population  of  over  4,000  in  1824.  It  also  means 
that  these  settlers  were  from  the  free  states  chiefly. 

By  the  spring  of  1825,  the  result  of  the  slavery  contest  was  known 
in  all  the  older  states,  and  as  if  people  were  waiting  for  a  favorable 
report,  the  movement  of  immigration  began. 

The  fame  of  the  "Sangamon  country"  had  spread  into  all  the  older 
settled  portions  of  the  United  States  and  the  migrations  were  largely 
toward  that  region.  In  the  summer  of  1825,  the  road  leading  into  the 
"Sangamon  country"  was  literally  lined  with  movers  seeking  new  homes. 
In  Vandalia  alone  it  is  said  250  wagons  were  counted  going  north  in 
three  weeks. 

The  first  to  systematically  explore  the  Sangamon  region  was  Fer- 
dinand Ernst,  a  German  traveler,  to  whom  had  been  carried  even  to 
Europe,  marvelous  stories  of  that  country;  and  he  wished  to  "see  for 
himself."  He  reached  the  site  of  Vandalia  before  the  sale  of  lots  took 
place,  which  occurred  the  6th  of  September,  1819.  From  here  he 
visited  the  Sangamon  country.  There  was  a  very  good  road  leading 
from  Edwardsville  into  the  Sangamon  country.  As  nearly  as  this 
road  can  be  now  traced,  it  ran  in  almost  a  straight  line  from  Edwards- 
ville to  the  present  city  of  Carlinville,  passing  on  the  way  the  site 
of  the  present  flourishing  city  of  Bunker  Hill.  From  Carlinville 
the  road  bent  to  the  east-of-north,  passing  out  of  the  present  county 
of  Macoupin  at  the  northeast  corner,  three  miles  east  of  the  present 
city  of  Yirden;  from  this  point  east-of-north  to  a  point  very  near 
Rochester,  and  thence  to  a  point  near  the  junction  of  the  south 


76  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

branch  and  north  fork  of  the  Sangamon  River,  leaving  the  site  of 
the  present  capital  some  four  or  five  miles  to  the  west.  From  here 
the  road  continued  the  same  general  direction  to  the  present  city 
of  Lincoln.  The  road  continued  this  general  direction  till  it  left 
the  present  county  of  Logan  at  the  old  Kickapoo  capital.  Here 
it  struck  Tazewell  County  and  thence  turned  northwest  to  Lake  Peoria. 
This  was  the  route  taken  by  Governor  Edwards  in  his  campaign  in  1813. 

Mr.  Ernst,  the  traveler,  took  this  road  in  1819.  He  started  from 
Vandalia  and  went  northwest,  crossed  Shoal  Creek,  left  the  headwaters 
of  Silver  and  Sugar  Creek  to  the  southwest,  passed  not  far  from  Mt. 
Olive  and  Gillespie,  and  came  into  the  road  described  above,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  describes  the  big  prairie  which  separates 
the  headwaters  of  the  Macoupin  and  the  Sangamon.  He  says  the 
moment  one  passes  over  the  divide  into  the  drainage  basin  of  the  Sanga- 
mon he  sees  a  marked  difference  in  the  character  of  the  soil.  The  second 
night  out  the  traveler  stayed  with  a  family  on  Sugar  Creek,  about  two 
miles  west  of  Pawnee.  Sixty  farms  had  been  opened  on  this  stream 
since  the  spring  of  1819.  The  sod-corn  was  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
high.  The  land  was  not  yet  surveyed  and  could  not  be  for  some  three 
years.  This  was  called  "the  beautiful  land  of  the  Sangamon."  From 
this  point  Mr.  Ernst  traveled  west  in  a  circuit  around  the  present  site 
of  Springfield  to  Elkhart  Grove.  Here  lived  a  Mr.  Latham  who  had 
thirty  acres  in  cultivation.  This  farm  was  the  farthest  north  of  any 
east  of  the  Illinois  river.  However,  there  were  some  farms  laid  out  at 
the  old  Kickapoo  capital  just  in  the  edge  of  Tazewell  County,  but  no 
settlements  made.  Mr.  Ernst  went  north  to  Salt  Creek,  but  not  being 
able  to  get  across  he  retraced  his  steps. 

Mr.  Ernst  says:  "In  the  vicinity  of  this  town  (Vandalia)  is  a 
large  amount  of  fine  land ;  but  every  one  is  full  of  praise  of  those  sixty 
or  eighty  miles  northward  upon  the  River  Sangamon.  The  expression 
the  'Sangamon  country,'  applied  to  all  that  country  through  which  the 
Sangamon  river  and  its  branches  flow.  Peck's  Gazetteer,  page  131, 
says :  'This  country  contains  a  larger  quantity  of  rich  land  than  any 
other  in  the  state.  The  Sangamon,  in  particular,  is  an  Arcadian  region, 
in  which  nature  has  delighted  to  bring  together  her  happiest  combina- 
tions of  landscape.  It  is  generally  a  level  country.  There  is  a  happy 
proportion  of  timbered  and  prairied  lands.  The  soil  is  of  great  fertility. 
All  who  have  visited  this  fine  tract  of  country  admire  the  beauty  of  the 
landscape,  which  nature  has  here  painted  in  primeval  freshness.' " 

It  was  most  fitting  that  this  beautiful,  fertile  and  invigorating  region 
of  Illinois  should  be  first  settled  by  an  energetic,  enterprising  class  of 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  77 

freemen  and  women,  constitutionally  opposed  to  the  introduction  of  any 
form  of  slavery  into  their  virgin  land. 

FUNDAMENTAL  SCHOOL  LEGISLATION 

Joseph  Duncan  of  Jacksonville,  afterward  congressman  and  governor, 
secured  the  passage  of  the  free  school  law  of  1825,  which  was  the  basis 
of  the  system  of  today.  For  its  support,  taxes  were  to  be  collected  on 
the  property  of  the  people  in  the  district,  and  provision  was  made  for 
a  board  of  directors  who  were  to  have  control  of  the  schools  and  build- 
ings, examine  the  teachers  and  have  general  local  oversight  of  all  educa- 
tional matters  of  a  public  nature. 

In  1826-27  the  Legislature  provided  for  better  securities  from  those 
who  were  borrowing  the  money  for  which  the  school  lands  had  been  sold. 
But  in  1829  the  Legislature  repealed  the  part  of  the  Duncan  law  of 
1825  which  gave  2  per  cent  of  the  net  revenue  of  the  State  to  the 
schools.  Every  commendable  feature  of  the  Duncan  law  was  now 
repealed  and  the  schools  lay  prostrate  till  1855. 

The  Legislature  of  1828-29  also  adopted  the  plan  of  selling  the 
school  and  seminary  lands.  The  law  provided  that  the  sixteenth  section 
of  each  township  might  be  sold  whenever  nine-tenths  of  the  inhabitants 
(evidently  voters)  were  in  favor  of  the  sale.  Later  the  law  allowed 
the  sale  if  three-fourths  were  in  favor  of  it. 

The  immigrants  coming  into  an  unsettled  township  were  always  eager 
to  dispose  of  the  sixteenth  section,  as  it  made  a  fund  with  which  the 
authorities  might  assist  the  schools.  But  this  section  when  sold  for 
$1.25  per  acre,  the  regular  Government  price,  would  bring  only  $800, 
and  this  at  10  per  cent  interest  would  bring  only  $80  per  year.  This 
would  not  be  of  much  service  when  distributed  among  the  schools  of 
the  township. 

STATE  BANK  IN  LIQUIDATION 

Joseph  Duncan  stepped  from  Congress  into  the  governorship,  in 
1834,  and  during  his  administration  was  chiefly  engaged  in  wrestling 
with  banking  and  internal  improvement  problems,  which  were  so  inti- 
mately connected.  In  1837  the  State  Bank,  with  other  similar  institu- 
tions of  the  country,  suspended  specie  payments,  and  in  1843  the 
Legislature  passed  a  law  "to  diminish  the  State  debt  and  put  the  State 
Bank  into  liquidation."  The  bank  was  given  four  years  in  which  to 
wind  up  its  business. 


78  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

SYSTEM  OF  INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS 

While  the  affairs  of  the  State  Bank  and  its  branches  were  in  chaos, 
an  ambitious  system  of  internal  improvements  was  assumed  by  the  State, 
despite  the  opposition  of  Governor  Duncan  and  the  Council  of  Revision. 
The  bill  as  prepared  by  the  Vandalia  convention  to  consider  internal 
improvements  became  a  law.  It  appropriated  $10,200,000  for  the  fol- 
lowing objects:  Improvement  of  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  Rock,  Kas- 
kaskia  and  Little  Wabash  rivers,  and  the  Western  Mail  Route  $9,350,000 ; 
for  railroads — Cairo  to  Galena,  $3,500,000;  Alton  to  Mount  Carmel, 
$1,600,000;  Quincy  to  Indiana  line,  $1,800,000;  Shelbyville  to  Terre 
Haute,  $650,000;  Peoria  to  Warsaw,  $700,000;  Alton  to  Central  Rail- 
road, $600,000;  Belleville  to  Mount  Carmel,  $150,000;  Bloomington  to 
Pekin,  $350,000,  and  Vincennes  to  St.  Louis,  $250,000;  $200,000  "to 
pacify  disappointed  counties"  which  had  failed  to  be  promised  any 
improvement  whatsoever  by  the  State.  In  addition,  the  sale  of  $1,000,000 
worth  of  canal  lands  and  the  issuance  of  $500,000  in  canal  bonds  were 
authorized,  the  proceeds  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  Canal,  $500,000  of  this  amount  to  be  expended  in  1838.  A 
competent  historian  graphically  tells  what  happened:  "Work  began  at 
once.  Routes  were  surveyed  and  contracts  for. construction  let,  and  an 
era  of  reckless  speculation  began.  Large  sums  were  rapidly  expended 
and  nearly  $6,500,000  quickly  added  to  the  State  debt.  The  system 
'was  soon  demonstrated  to  be  a  failure  and  was  abandoned  for  lack  of 
funds,  some  of  the  'improvements'  already  made  being  sold  to  private 
parties  at  a  heavy  loss.  This  scheme  furnished  the  basis  of  the  State 
debt  under  which  Illinois  labored  for  many  years  and  which,  at  its 
maximum,  reached  nearly  $17,000,000." 

Although  as  a  whole  the  internal  improvements  scheme  was  a  dis- 
aster to  the  State  as  a  promoter  of  public  works,  it  was  the  means  of 
furthering  the  project  of  a  great  railroad  to  be  projected  through  central 
Illinois  from  north  to  south,  it  eventually  materialized  into  one  of  the 
splendid  railroad  systems  of  the  country,  being  kept  alive  through  private 
promotion  and  management. 

CAPITAL  MOVED  TO  SPRINGFIELD 

It  was  at  the  same  session  which  originated  the  internal  improve- 
ments scheme  that  the  Legislature  voted  to  move  the  State  capital  from 
Vandalia  to  Springfield,  Sangamon  County.  Jacksonville,  Peoria  and 
Alton  were  also  competitors.  Lincoln  led  the  Sangamon  County  dele- 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  79 

gation  to  victory,  its  solid  support  of  internal  improvements  hinging 
largely  on  the  outside  backing  received  as  a  candidate  for  the  State 
capital.  The  legislative  act  by  which  the  removal  was  accomplished 
went  into  effect  July  4,  1839,  and  the  Legislature  convened  at  the  new 
capitol  in  December  of  that  year. 

EEMAINS  OF  INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS  SYSTEM 

In  1840  the  Legislature  abolished  the  board  of  fund  commissioners 
and  the  board  of  public  works  which  had  in  charge  the  internal  improve- 
ments of  the  State  and  that  loose-jointed  system  collapsed.  One  fund 
commissioner  was  then  appointed  who  was  authorized  to  act,  but  was 
without  power  to  sell  bonds  or  to  borrow  money  on  the  credit  of  the 
State.  Another  board  of  public  works  was  also  created,  which,  with 
the  fund  commissioner,  was  to  wind  up  pending  business  without  delay, 
to  operate  any  roads  which  were  near  completion,  complete  the  work 
on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  and  burn  all  bonds  remaining  unsold. 

The  Great  Northern  Cross  Eailroad,  which  was  planned  to  be  con- 
structed from  Springfield  to  Quincy,  half  way  across  the  State  to  the 
Mississippi  Eiver,  had  actually  been  built  from  the  State  capital  to 
Meredosia,  Morgan  County,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Illinois  Eiver, 
fifty-eight  miles  distant.  This  road,  which  became  a  part  of  the  Wabash 
system,  was  sold  in  1847  to  Nicholas  H.  Eidgly  of  Springfield  for  about 
$21,000.  Thus  a  commencement  had  been  made  in  at  least  two  rail-- 
roads  which  now  traverse  the  territory  of  Champaign  County. 

EEVISING  THE  OLD  CONSTITUTION 

After  the  defeat  of  the  convention  in  1824  nothing  was  done  toward 
revising  or  amending  the  State  Constitution  until  1840-41.  In  the 
Legislature  of  that  year  a  resolution  was  adopted  calling  on  the  voters 
to  express  themselves  relative  to  a  convention  at  the  coming  State 
election  in  August.  The  Democrats  favored  such  a  convention,  but 
when  a  bill  passed  the  Legislature  abolishing  the  Circuit  Court  judges 
and  creating  five  new  judges  on  the  Supreme  bench,  all  of  which  places 
were  filled  by  Democrats,  the  need  of  a  convention  did  not  seem  so 
apparent. 

The  Democrats  now  controlled  the  Legislature,  the  executive  and  the 
courts.  When  the  election  was  held  in  August  the  Democrats  generally 
voted  against  the  proposition  to  hold  a  convention;  but  the  Whigs  later 
passed  another  act  calling  on  the  people  to  vote  on  the  question  of  a 
convention  at  the  general  election  in  August,  1846.  The  proposition 


80  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

was  strongly  urged  upon  the  people  by  the  Democratic  press  and  it  was 
not  very  generally  opposed,  and  so  it  carried. 

The  act  providing  for  the  constitutional  convention  determined  the 
number  of  delegates  which  should  sit  therein,  the  date  of  their  election, 
which  was  fixed  for  the  third  Monday  in  April,  1847,  and  the  date  of 
the  meeting  of  the  delegates  in  the  convention,  the  first  Monday  in 
June,  1847.  There  was  no  special  argument  against  a  convention,  but 
several  were  urged  in  its  favor. 

There  were  a  number  of  other  changes  which  were  considered  during 
the  canvass  preceding  the  election  in  April.  When  the  members  came 
together  June  7,  1847,  it  was  found  that  the  Whigs  and  Democrats 
were  about  evenly  divided.  The  convention  organized  by  electing  New- 
ton Cloud  president  and  Henry  W.  Moore  secretary.  There  were  162 
delegates  in  this  body. 

In  the  legislative  department  the  following  features  may  be  noted 
in  the  constitution  of  1848 :  No  member  of  the  General  Assembly  shall 
be  elected  to  any  other  office  during  his  term  as  a  legislator.  The 
Senate  shall  consist  of  twenty-five  members  and  the  House  of  seventy- 
five  members  till  the  State  shall  contain  1,000,000  people.  After  that 
an  addition  of  five  in  each  House  shall  be  made  for  every  increase  of 
500,000  till  there  shall  be  50  senators  and  100  representatives,  when  the 
number  shall  remain  stationary. 

The  governor  must  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  thirty-five 
years  of  age,  and  shall  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  fourteen  years 
and  have  resided  in  the  State  ten  years.  The  governor  must  reside  at 
the  seat  of  government.  He  shall  have  the  veto  power.  His  salary 
was  $1,500 — no  more.  The  secretary  of  state,  auditor  and  treasurer 
shall  be  elected  at  the  same  time  as  the  governor  and  lieutenant-governor 
are  chosen.  The  governor  shall  issue  all  commissions. 

THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  1848 

The  constitution  was  completed  on  August  31,  1847.  On  March  6, 
1848,  it  was  submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification.  The  vote  on  the 
constitution  stood  nearly  60,000  for  and  nearly  16,000  against.  It  was 
declared  in  force  April  1,  1848.  By  the  terms  of  the  document  itself 
an  election  should  be  held  on  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  Novem- 
ber, 1848,  for  governor  and  other  executive  officers,  as  well  as  for 
members  of  the  Legislature.  In  compliance  therewith,  in  November, 
1848,  Governor  French  was  re-elected  governor  for  four  years  from 
January  1,  1849. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  81 

The  new  constitution  authorized  the  Legislature  to  provide  for  town- 
ship organization.  In  pursuance  thereof  a  law  was  passed  in  1849 
which  allowed  counties,  when  authorized  by  a  vote  of  the  people,  to 
organize  under  this  new  system.  This  new  system  of  county  organiza- 
tion is  distinctly  a  New  England  product,  and  was  therefore  championed 
by  the  northern  counties,  which  had  been  largely  settled  by  immigrants 
from  New  England  and  the  Middle  States.  The  Legislature  on  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1849,  passed  a  general  law  governing  all  counties  under 
township  organization.  This  first  law  was  somewhat  imperfect,  and 
has  therefore  been  subject  to  amendments  up  till  the  present  time. 

BANKING  LEGISLATION 

In  the  thirty  years  which  had  passed  since  the  adoption  of  its  first 
constitution,  the  State  of  Illinois  had  learned  several  lessons  through 
the  impressive  process  of  distressing  experience.  Perhaps  the  most 
important  thus  instilled  were  those  connected  with  reckless  expansion  of 
the  financial  institutions  and  the  public  utilities  within  her  borders. 
Under  the  constitution  of  1818  the  credit  of  the  State  might  be  used 
to  foster  such  enterprises  as  banks,  railroads  and  canals.  But  the  con- 
stitution of  1848  says :  "No  State  bank  shall  hereafter  be  created, 
nor  shall  the  State  own  or  be  liable  for  any  stock  in  any  corporation 
or  joint  stock  association  for  banking  purposes  to  be  hereafter  created." 
It  was  not  possible,  therefore,  for  the  State  to  engage  in  any  banking 
business  or  improvement  schemes,  but  it  might  grant  charters,  or  pass 
laws,  in  the  encouragement  of  such  enterprises.  Further  safeguards 
are  thrown  around  the  State,  as  witness  this  provision :  "No  act  of  the 
General  Assembly,  authorizing  corporations  or  associations  with  banking 
powers,  shall  go  into  effect  or  in  any  manner  be  enforced,  unless  the 
same  shall  be  submitted  to  the  people  at  the  general  election  next  suc- 
ceeding the  passage  of  the  same,  and  be  approved  by  a  majority  of  the 
votes  cast  at  such  election  for  and  against  such  law."  Another  section 
of  the  same  article  (X)  provides  that  all  stockholders  in  banking  asso- 
ciations issuing  bank  notes  should  be  individually  responsible  propor- 
tionately to  the  stock  held  by  each  for  all  liabilities  of  the  corporation 
or  association.  Since  the  winding  up  of  the  affairs  of  the  old  State 
Bank  and  the  Bank  of  Illinois  there  were  no  banks  of  issue  in  the  State. 
The  money  in  circulation  comprised  gold  and  silver  and  paper  money 
issued  by  banks  in  other  states. 

Following  the  ratification  of  the  constitution  of  1848,  there  began, 
almost  immediately,  an  agitation  for  banks  of  issue  in  Illinois.  The 
New  York  free  banking  law  had  been  in  operation  for  a  decade.  The 

1—6 


82  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

bank  bills  were  secured  by  bonds  of  the  United  States  or  State,  or 
mortgages  approved  by  the  state  comptroller,  in  whose  hands  the  securi- 
ties were  placed.  That  official  issued  the  bills  put  in  circulation,  which 
were  countersigned  by  the  bank  officers.  The  bank  bills  were  to  be 
redeemed  when  presented  by  the  holders  within  a  reasonable  time  and, 
if  necessary,  the  comptroller  was  authorized  to  sell  the  bonds  deposited 
with  him  for  that  purpose,  or  if  the  State  were  required  to  wind  up 
the  affairs  of  the  bank. 

In  the  session  of  1851  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  founded  on  the 
New  York  system,  and  it  was  ratified  at  the  general  election  in  Novem- 
ber. Under  it,  also,  no  bank  could  be  organized  with  a  smaller  issue  of 
bills  than  $50,000.  It  was  also  provided  that  if  any  bank  refused  to 
redeem  its  issue,  it  was  liable  to  a  fine  of  12l/2  Per  cent  on  the  amount 
presented  for  redemption. 

On  the  face  of  it,  the  law  seemed  fairly  to  protect  both  the  bank- 
note holder  and  the  State ;  but  various  schemes  were  worked  to  keep  the 
people  from  presenting  their  bills  for  redemption.  One  of  the  most 
ingenious  was  the  interchanging  of  bills  between  banks  in  widely  sepa- 
rated sections  of  the  country.  A  bank,  say,  in  Springfield,  Illinois, 
would  send  $25,000  of  its  own  issue  to  a  bank  in  Massachusetts,  say,  in 
Boston ;  the  Boston  bank  returning  a  like  amount  to  the  Springfield 
bank.  Each  bank  would  then  pay  out  this  money  over  its  counter  in 
small  quantities  and  in  this  way  the  Springfield  bank  issue  would  become 
scattered  all  over  New  England  and  no  person  holding  but  a  few 
dollars  would  think  of  coming  to  Springfield  to  get  his  bills  redeemed. 
The  issue  of  the  Boston  bank  would  be  scattered  through  the  West. 
In  this  way,  and  in  other  ways,  the  money  of  Illinois  became  scattered 
in  other  states,  while  in  the  ordinary  business  transaction  in  this  State 
one  would  handle  a  large  number  of  bills  daily  which  had  been  issued  in 
other  states. 

REAL  WILD-CAT  BANKS 

No  doubt  many  corporations  went  into  the  banking  business  under 
this  law  with  clean  hands  and  carried  on  a  properly  conducted  banking 
business,  but  there  were  ways  by  which  irresponsible  and  dishonest  men 
might  go  into  the  banking  business  and  make  large  sums  of  money 
without  very  much  capital  invested. 

These  banks  were  known  as  wild-cat  banks.  The  name  is  said  to 
have  originated  from  the  picture  of  a  wild  cat  engraved  on  the  bills  of 
one  of  these  irresponsible  banks  in  Michigan.  However,  they  may  have 
been  named  from  the  fact  that  the  words  "wild  cat"  were  often  applied 
to  any  irresponsible  venture  or  scheme. 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  83 

There  were,  in  Illinois,  organized  under  this  law,  115  banks  of  issue. 
Up  to  1860  the  "ultimate  security"  was  sufficient  at  any  time  to  redeem 
all  outstanding  bills,  but  when  the  Civil  War  came  on  the  securities  of 
the  Southern  States,  on  deposit  in  the  auditor's  office,  depreciated 
greatly  in  value.  The  banks  were  going  into  liquidation  rapidly.  They 
redeemed  their  bills  at  all  prices  from  par  down  to  forty-nine  cents  on 
the  dollar.  It  is  estimated  that  the  bill-holders  lost  about  $400,000,  but 
that  it  came  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  not  felt  seriously.  This  system 
of  banking  was  followed  by  the  national  banking  system  with  which  we 
are  acquainted  today. 

The  115  banks  of  issue  which  were  in  operation  in  Illinois  just 
prior  to  the  Civil  War  issued  nearly  1,000  different  kinds  of  bank  bills. 
Because  of  the  large  number  of  kinds  of  bills  counterfeiting  was  easy, 
and  it  is  said  that  much  of  the  money  in  circulation  was  counterfeit. 
Banks  received  reports  as  to  the  condition  of  financial  institutions  over 
the  State  daily.  One  never  knew  when  he  presented  a  bill  in  payment 
of  a  debt  whether  it  was  of  any  value.  Often  the  merchant  would 
accept  this  paper  money  only  when  heavily  discounted. 

The  agitation  of  the  slavery  question,  which  had  centered  around 
the  debates  on  the  Missouri  Compromise  and  the  efforts  of  the  Free 
Soilers  at  least  to  restrict  the  spread  of  the  institution,  swept  through 
Illinois  and  was  violent  in  Champaign  County,  where  both  Lincoln  and 
Douglas  were  not  unfamiliar  figures.  In  1858  they  also  electioneered 
in  their  famous  contest  for  the  United  States  Senate. 

THE  NATIONAL  BANKING  SYSTEM 

In  February,  1863,  Congress  passed  an  act  creating  a  national  bank- 
ing system,  and  in  that  year  several  of  the  free  banks  of  Illinois  changed 
accordingly.  All  free  banks  which  had  their  notes  secured  by  bonds  of 
the  seceding  states  were  obliged  to  furnish  additional  security,  or  redeem 
their  notes  and  suspend.  Thus  the  free  banks  began  to  disappear.  In 
March,  1865,  Congress  passed  a  law  which  placed  a  tax  on  all  bills 
issued  by  the  State  banks,  which  had  the  effect  of  forcing  the  remainder 
of  the  free  banks  out  of  business,  or  inducing  them  to  join  the  ranks  of 
the  National  banks.  The  National  Banking  Law  of  1863  is  the  basis 
of  the  system  of  today.  It  has  been  greatly  reinforced  of  late  years 
by  the  statutes  by  which  banks  are  chartered  and  regulated  by  the  State, 
and  by  the  National  enactments  of  even  later  date  by  which  the  National 
banks  cooperate  and  protect  the  entire  financial  system  of  the  country 
and  especially  promote  and  conserve  the  vast  agricultural  interests  of 
the  nation. 


84  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGX   COUNTY 

THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  1870 

The  coming  and  progress  of  the  Civil  War,  and  how  Champaign 
County  participated  in  it,  is  told  in  another  chapter.  Perhaps  the  next 
broad  event  affecting  Champaign  County  at  many  points  was  the  adoption 
of  the  State  Constitution  of  1870.  It  is  divided  into  twenty  sections. 
Briefly,  it  provides  for  minority  representation  and  for  free  schools ;  pro- 
hibits the  paying  of  money  by  any  civil  corporate  body  in  aid  of  any 
church  or  parochial  school;  creates  fifty-one  senatorial  districts,  each  of 
which  is  entitled  to  one  senator  and  three  representatives;  declares  the 
inviolability  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  tax;  lays  the  basis  of  the 
present  railroad  and  warehouse  laws;  prohibits  the  sale  or  lease  of 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  without  a  vote  of  the  people;  prohibits 
municipalities  from  subscribing  for  any  stock  in  any  railroad  or  private 
corporation ;  limits  the  rate  of  taxation  and  amount  of  indebtedness  that 
may  be  incurred ;  prohibits  special  legislation ;  authorizes  the  creation 
of  appellate  courts,  and  fixes  the  salaries  of  State  officers  by  legislative 
enactment. 

BUILDING  AND  LOAN  ASSOCIATIONS  AUTHORIZED 

A  word  as  to  the  origin  and  workings  of  the  building  and  loan  asso- 
ciations of  Illinois  and  Champaign  County.  They  were  authorized  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  1879.  They  are  cooperative  associations,  hav- 
ing for  their  aim  the  creation  of  a  fund  through  small  monthly  pay- 
ments by  investors,  which,  when  sufficiently  large,  may  be  loaned  to 
borrowers.  The  borrower,  in  turn,  becomes  an  investor,  and  when  his 
investment  amounts  to  a  sum  equal  to  the  amount  he  borrowed,  the 
interest  having  been  paid  monthly,  the  debt  is  cancelled.  This  plan 
enables  those  who  have  small  savings  each  month  to  invest  in  building 
and  loan  stock.  The  earnings  are  usually  better  than  other  forms  of 
investment,  as  the  borrower  pays  his  interest  monthly.  This  interest 
is  immediately  loaned  and  is  compounded  several  times  by  the  end  of 
the  year.  The  borrower  finds  it  easy  to  pay  his  interest  monthly,  and 
his  investment  also,  and  so,  in  a  sense,  profits  much  from  this  plan  of 
paying  for  a  home. 

It  will  readily  be  understood  that  this  chapter  is  presented  as  a 
background  for  the  more  detailed  delineation  of  Champaign  County. 
Much  of  it  deals  with  events  which  transpired  long  before  it  had  a 
name  or  a  political  existence,  but  they  have  all  had  a  bearing  on  the 
history  and  development  of  this  section  of  the  State,  and  now  and  then 
direct  reference  has  been  made  to  such  connection.  When  the  white 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


85 


civilization  of  the  region  first  commenced  to  develop,  the  red  man  still 
occupied  many  choice  spots  in  eastern  and  central  Illinois.  Their  habi- 
tats, as  indistinctly  defined,  are  noted  in  the  following  chapter,  as  well 
as  the  facts  of  their  final  departure  from  the  territory  now  known  as 
Champaign  County. 


CHARTER  III 
FLEETING  GLIMPSES  OF  THE  EED  MAN 

THE    ILLINOIS    CONFEDERACY — THE    KASKASKIAS — THE    PEORIAS — 

MlAMIS  AND  POTTAWATTAMIES THE  KlCKAPOOS — FAMOUS  INDIAN 

CAMPS  AT  URBANA — FAVORITE  RESORT  NEAR  SADORUS — SHEMAUGER, 
THE  FRIENDLY  POTTAWATTAMIE  CHIEF — TOLD  TO  "Gii" — INDIAN 
SCARES — PLEASED  WITH  THE  WHITE  MAN'S  COFFIN — INDIAN 
SEPULTURES — MIAMIS  PASSING  TO  THE  WEST — EN  ROUTE  FOR 
WASHINGTON — LAST  OF  THE  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  INDIANS. 

The  Indians  found  in  Illinois  by  Marquette  and  Joliet  belonged  to 
the  Algonquin  family;  and  there  was  undying  hatred  between  the  Iro- 
quois  of  the  East  and  the  Algonquins  of  the  Northwest. 

THE  ILLINOIS  CONFEDERACY 

The  Illinois  Indians  formed  a  loose  confederacy  of  about  half  a 
dozen  tribes,  the  chief  of  which  were  the  Metchigamis,  the  Kaskaskias, 
the  Peorias,  the  Cahokias  and  the  Tamaroas.  In  addition,  there  were 
the  Piankashaws,  the  Weas,  the  Kickapoos,  the  Shawnees  and  probably 
other  tribes,  or  remnants,  who  occupied  Illinois  soil  for  longer  or 
shorter  periods.  The  first  five  tribes  are  probably  all  who  should  be 
included  in  the  Illinois  Confederacy. 

The  Metchigamis  were  found  along  the  Mississippi  River.  Their 
principal  settlement  was  near  Fort  Chartres.  They  also  lived  in  the 
vicinity  of  Lake  Michigan,  to  which  they  gave  their  name.  They  were 
allies  of  Pontiac  in  the  war  of  1764,  and  perished  with  other  members 
of  the  Illinois  Confederacy  on  Starved  Rock,  in  1769. 

THE  KASKASKIAS 

The  Kaskaskias  were  originally  found  along  the  upper  courses  of 
the  Illinois  River,  and  it  was  among  the  members  of  this  tribe  that 
Marquette  planted  the  first  mission  in  Illinois.  They  moved  from 
the  upper  Illinois  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  River  in  1700,  and 
founded  there  the  old  city  of  Kaskaskia,  which  eventually  became  the 

86 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  87 

center  of  French  life  in  the  interior  of  the  continent.  During  the  fol- 
lowing century  the  Kaskaskias  occupied  the  region  at  and  about  their 
city,  but  in  1802  were  almost  exterminated  by  the  Shawnees  at  the 
battle  near  the  Big  Muddy,  Saline  County.  The  Kaskaskias  afterward 
moved  to  a  reservation  on  the  lower  Big  Muddy,  and  eventually  to  the 
Indian  Territory.  The  Cahokia  and  Tamaroa  tribes  were  merged  with 
the  Kaskaskias  under  one  chief. 

THE  PEOEIAS 

The  Peorias  made  their  home  in  the  region  of  Lake  Peoria  and  were 
always  quiet  and  peaceable.  The  Piankashaws,  a  small  tribe  of  the 
Miami  "confederation,  first  resided  in  southeastern  Wisconsin,  and  after 
the  misadventure  at  Starved  Rock  moved  to  the  Wabash  River,  and 
eventually  to  a  Kansas  reservation  and  to  the  Indian  Territory.  They 
were  always  very  friendly  to  the  white  settlers. 

MlAMIS  AND  POTTAWATTAMIES 

Although  the  Miamis  and  the  Pottawattamies  were  familiar  to  the 
early  settlers  of  central  Illinois  and  Champaign  County,  they  were  not 
settled  representatives  of  the  red  men  in  those  sections  of  the  State,  but 
rather  made  their  appearance  as  warriors  or  hunters. 

THE  KICKAPOOS 

The  Kickapoos  seemed  to  have  been  intimately  associated  with  the 
Miamis  and  Pottawattamies  in  the  Indian  campaigns  against  St.  Clair, 
Wayne  and  Taylor.  They  were  bold  marauders  and  warriors,  and  were , 
in  special  force  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  They  were  scattered 
throughout  the  Illinois  country,  but  for  fifty  years  before  the  Edwards- 
ville  treaty  of  1819  held  strong  sway  over  the  eastern  part  of  what  is  now 
the  State,  and  in  the  late  '20s  and  early  '30s,  when  the  first  permanent 
white  settlers  were  arriving  in  the  present  Champaign  County,  still  occu- 
pied the  soil  of  that  region  with  undisputed  title  to  its  possession  among 
the  people  of  their  own  race. 

The  Kickapoos,  as  a  tribe,  first  acknowledged  the  authority  of  the 
United  States  at  the  treaty  mentioned,  which  was  signed  July  30,  1819. 
A  month  later,  the  Government  concluded  a  treaty  at  Vincennes  with 
a  smaller  division  of  the  Kickapoos,  known  as  the  tribes  of  the  Vermilion 
River,  who  claimed  territory  embracing  the  county  by  that  name  and 
the  eastern  part  of  Champaign.  Thus  relinquishing  all  title  to  their 


HISTOKY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  89 

lands  in  Illinois,  the  Ivickapoos  honorably  observed  their  contracts  and 
moved  as  a  body  to  their  western  lands,  although  weak  remnants  of  the 
tribe  lingered  until  the  early  '30s  on  several  favorite  camping  grounds, 
near  the  scenes  of  their  old  centers  of  power  in  Champaign  and  McLean 
counties.  The  Pottawattamies  of  the  Kankakee,  in  their  annual  hunts, 
also  visited  the  region  after  the  white  pioneers  had  commenced  to  take 
up  land  for  themselves  and  their  children.  As  the  timbered  tracts  of 
Champaign  County  and  contiguous  territory  abounded  in  game,  the 
climate  was  less  rigorous  than  that  of  the  more  northern  sections,  and 
as  the  soil  yielded  plentifully  of  cereals  and  vegetables,  the  region  was 
naturally  a  favorite  to  the  Kickapoos  and  the  more  migratory  Pottawat- 
tamies. The  latter  especially  adopted  as  favorite  camping  places  the 
immediate  site  of  Urbana  and  wooded  haunts  along  the  Okaw,  Sanga- 
mon  and  the  Salt  Fork. 

FAMOUS  INDIAN  CAJIPS  AT  URBANA 

The  late  Judge  Cunningham,  writing  more  than  a  decade  ago,  says : 
"But  a  few  years  since,  and  plainly  to  be  seen  until  the  white  man's  plow 
had  turned  up  the  sod  and  effaced  the  evidences  of  their  occupation,  were 
many  Indian  trails  across  the  prairies;  and  it  is  within  the  memory  of 
many  now  living,  as  well  as  attested  by  the  well  remembered  statements 
heard  from  the  early  settlers,  that  the  corn-hills  of  the  Indian  occupants 
were  found  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  Public  Square  in  Urbana,  as  late 
as  1832.  Many  yet  remember  a  fine  spring  of  water  which  came  from 
the  bluff  two  or  three  rods  south  of  the  stone  bridge  on  Main  Street, 
which  was  obliterated  by  being  covered  with  earth  only  a  few  years 
since.  This  spring  afforded  an  abundance  of  water  to  the  campers  in 
the  edge  of  the  timber,  as  it  did  to  the  families  of  William  Tompkins 
and  Isaac  Busey,  who  afterwards  took  possession  of  the  site  for  their 
homes,  though  they  frequently  shared  it  with  their  returning  Indian 
visitors.  This  was  a  point  having  great  attractions  for  the  latter. 
Indian  trinkets  and  ornaments  of  bone  and  metal  were  often  picked  up 
in  the  neighborhood  of  this  spring  by  the  whites  after  settlements  were 
established  here,  and  the  bones  of  game  animals  strewn  over  the  ground 
showed  a  long  and  extensive  occupancy  of  the  locality  for  camping 
purposes  before  the  white  occupancy. 

FAVORITE  RESORT  NEAR  SADORUS 

"A  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians  upon  the  Okaw  was  a  place  near 
that  stream  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Sadorus,  and 


90  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

upon  the  east  bank  of  the  stream.  There  they  often  encamped  in  the 
autumn  and  awaited  the  coming  of  deer  and  other  game  when  driven 
by  the  prairie  fires  from  the  open  country  into  the  timber.  To  this  day 
the  plow  upon  that  ground  turns  up  stone-axes  and  arrow  heads,  left 
there  by  these  long-ago  tenants  of  the  .prairies.  The  cabinet  of 
Capt.  G.  W.  B.  Sadorus  contains  many  of  these  and  other  relics.  Even 
after  the  settlement  of  the  country,  the  Indians  followed  the  practice 
of  here  awaiting  the  annual  coming  of  their  prey.  Many  were  the  inci- 
dents told  by  the  settlers  about  the  Big  Grove — few  of  whom  yet  remain 
— in  connection  with  the  visits  made  here  by  the  Pottawattamies,  which 
continued  for  many  years  after  the  first  occupancy  by  the  whites.  The 
prairies  and  groves  of  this  county,  as  well  as  the  neighboring  counties 
of  Illinois,  were  favorite  hunting  grounds  of  the  people  of  this  tribe, 
whose  own  country  was  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  as  they  had 
been  of  the  former  occupants  and  claimants,  the  Kickapoos,  who  had 
relinquished  their  rights.  Not  only  was  this  region  esteemed  by  those 
people  on  account  of  the  game  with  which  it  abounded,  but  it  yielded 
to  their  cultivation  abundant  returns  in  cereals  and  vegetables.  Its 
winters  were  not  so  long  and  much  less  rigorous  than  were  those  of 
the  lake  regions,  so  that  the  red  visitors  of  the  pioneers  of  Champaign 
and  Vermilion  counties  were  not  rarities.  No  complaint  has  come  down 
to  the  inquirers  of  later  years  of  any  hostile  or  unfriendly  acts  from 
these  people,  but  on  the  contrary,  from  all  accounts  they  avoided  doing 
any  harm  and  were  frequently  helpful  to  the  new  comers. 

SHEMAUGER,  THE  FRIENDLY  POTTAWATTAMIE  CHIEF 

"Our  early  settlers  around  and  in  these  timber  belts  and  groves 
well  remember  many  of  their  Indian  visitors  by  name,  and  the  writer 
has  listened  with  great  interest  to  many  enthusiastically  told  stories 
from  them  of  personal  contact  with  these  people.  Particular  mention 
was  made  by  many  of  a  Pottawattamie  chief  named  Shemauger,  who 
was  also  known  by  the  name  of  Old  Soldier.  Shemauger  often  visited 
the  site  of  Urbana  after  the  whites  came,  and  for  some  years  after  1824. 
He  claimed  it  as  his  birthplace,  and  told  the  early  settlers  that  the 
family  home  at  the  time  of  his  birth  was  near  a  large  hickory  tree  then 
growing  upon  a  spot  north  of  Main  Street  and  a  few  rods  west  of 
Market  Street.  He  professed  great  love  for  this  location  as  his  birth- 
place, and  the  camping  ground  of  his  people  for  many  years.  At  the 
time  of  the  later  visits  of  Shemauger  there  was  not  only  the  hickory 
tree,  but  a  large  wild  cherry  tree  standing  about  where  the  hall  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  is  now  situated.  Besides  these  trees  there  were 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  91 

others  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  creek,  which  made  this  a  favorite  and 
most  convenient  and  comfortable  camping  place  for  the  Indians;  and, 
from  what  is  known  of  the  habits  of  these  people,  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  chief  was  correct  in  the  claim  made  upon  Urbana  as  his  birth- 
place. It  is  remembered  of  Shemauger  that  he  would  sometimes  come 
in  company  with  a  large  retinue  of  his  tribe  and  sometimes  with  his 
family  only,  when  he  would  remain  for  months  in  camp  at  points  along 
the  creek.  In  the  winter  of  1831-32,  these  Indians  to  the  number  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  remained  in  their  camp  near  the  big  spring  on  what,  of 
late  years,  has  been  known  as  the  Stewart  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Henry  Dobson's,  about  two  miles  north  of  Urbana. 


A  BIT  OF  THE  SITE  OF  THE  POTTAWATTAMIE  VILLAGE 

"Another  favorite  camping  ground  of  Shemauger  was  at  a  point 
known  as  the  Clay  Bank  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  2,  Urbana 
Township,  sometimes  called  Clement's  Ford,  towards  the  north  end  of 
the  Big  Grove.  One  early  settler  (Amos  Johnson,  who  died  twenty  years 
since)  related  to  the  writer  his  observations  of  these  people  while  there 
in  camp.  His  father  occupied  a  cabin  not  far  away,  and  the  family 
paid  frequent  visits  to  the  camp  out  of  curiosity,  fearing  nothing.  Some 
of  the  braves  amused  themselves  by  cutting  with  their  tomahawks  mor- 
tices into  contiguous  trees,  into  which  mortices  they  inserted  poles  cut 
the  proper  lengths.  These  poles,  so  placed  horizontally  at  convenient 
distances  from  each  other,  made  a  huge  living  ladder  reaching  from 
the  ground  to  a  great  height.  Up  this  ladder  the  Indians  would  climb 


92  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY 

when  the  weather  was  warm  and  sultry  to  catch  the  breezes  and  to 
escape  the  annoyances  of  the  mosquitoes.  He  saw  the  bucks  thus  com- 
fortably situated  upon  a  scaffold  in  the  tops  of  the  trees,  while  their 
squaws  were  engaged  in  the  domestic  duties  of  the  camp  on  the  ground 
below.  Thirty-five  or  more  years  ago,  trees  from  near  the  Clay  Bank 
were  cut  and  sawed  into  lumber  at  the  nearby  mill  of  John  Smith, 
when  these  mortices,  overgrown  by  many  years'  growth  of  the  trees, 
were  uncovered,  showing  the  work  of  these  Indians  forty  years  before, 
and  corroborating  the  story  as  related  to  the  writer. 

"Shemauger  told  another  early  settler  (James  W.  Boyd,  who  died 
many  years  since),  or  in  his  hearing,  that  many  years  before,  there 
came  in  this  country  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  the  depth  of  which  he  indi- 
cated by  holding  his  ramrod  horizontally  above  his  head,  and  said  that 
many  wild  beasts,  elk,  deer  and  buffalo  perished  under  the  snow.  To 
this  fact,  within  his  knowledge,  he  attributed  the  presence  of  many  bones 
of  animals  then  seen  on  the  prairies. 

"Shemauger  was  remembered  by  those  who  knew  him  personally  as 
a  very  large,  bony  man,  always  kind  and  helpful  to  the  white  settlers. 
It  was  also  said  that,  upon  being  asked  to  do  so,  he  would,  with  a  com- 
pany of  followers,  attend  the  cabin  raisings  of  the  early  settlers  and 
assist  them  in  the  completion  of  their  cabin  homes.  All  accounts  of 
Shemauger  represent  him  as  kind  to  the  whites  and  ambitious  for  the 
elevation  of  his  people.  One  early  settler  (Jesse  B.  Webber)  at  the  Big 
Grove,  who  came  here  in  1830  and  remained  all  of  that  winter  before 
making  himself  a  home,  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the  company  of 
the  chief  and  formed  for  him  a  high  esteem.  In  1830  Shemauger  was 
about  seventy-five  years  of  age  and  had,  in  his  time,  participated  in 
many  of  the  Indian  wars  with  the  whites  and,  with  his  experience, 
would  gladly  remain  at  peace  with  them.  The  Kankakee  Valley  was 
the  home  of  the  chief  during  the  last  years  of  his  stay  in  Illinois,  and 
he  was  seen  there  by  those  who  made  trips  to  Chicago.  Following 
the  Black  Hawk  War  his  tribe — or  the  remnant  of  it  remaining  east 
of  the  Mississippi  River — went  West  and  its  members  were  seen  here 
no  more. 

TOLD  TO  "GiT" 

"In  the  summer  of  1832,  before  the  organization  of  the  county  and 
the  fixing  of  its  county  seat — when  the  site  of  TJrbana  was  perhaps  only 
what  it  had  been  for  generations  before,  an  Indian  camping  ground — 
a  large  number  of  Indians  came  and  camped  around  the  spring  above 
alluded  to  as  situated  near  the  stone  bridge.  It  happened  to  be  at  the 
time  of  the  excitement  caused  by  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  caused  not 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  93 

a  little  apprehension  among  the  few  inhabitants  around  the  Big  Grove, 
although  the  presence  in  the  company  of  many  women  and  children  of 
the  Indians  should  have  been  an  assurance  of  no  hostile  errand.  A 
meeting  of  the  white  settlers  was  had,  and  the  removal  of  the  strange 
visitors  determined  upon  as  a  measure  of  safety.  A  committee  consist- 
ing of  Stephen  Boyd,  Jacob  Smith,  Gabe  Rice  and  Elias  Stamey  was 
appointed  by  the  white  settlers  charged  with  the  duty  of  having  a  talk 
with  the  red  men.  The  committee  went  to  the  camp  and,  mustering 
their  little  knowledge  of  their  language,  announced  to  the  Indians  that 
they  must  'puck-a-chee,'  which  they  understood  to  be  a  command  to  them 
to  leave  the  country.  The  order  was  at  once  obeyed.  The  Indians 
gathered  up  their  ponies,  pappooses  and  squaws  and  left,  greatly  to  the 
relief  of  the  settlers. 

INDIAN  SCARES 

"During  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  before  the  passage  through  the 
country  of  the  volunteers  from  Indiana  and  the  Wabash  country,  many 
wild  reports  of  Indian  depredations  nearby,  and  the  reports  that  hostiles 
were  encamped  as  near  as  on  the  Sangamon  River  and  at  the  Mink 
Grove,  spread  from  cabin  to  cabin  through  the  country,  made  a  general 
stampede  imminent.  Like  reports  of  threatened  danger  were  rife  among 
the  Sangamon  settlers,  but  in  their  case  the  supposed  hostiles  were 
encamped  lower  down  the  river  near  the  Piatt  settlement.  So  great 
was  the  alarm  in  the  latter  case  that  all  gathered  at  the  cabin  of  Jonathan 
Maxwell,  where  the  men  made  defensive  preparations  against  the  appre- 
hended attack.  It  was  soon  ascertained  in  all  the  settlements  that  the 
reports  were  false,  the  supposed  hostiles  being,  in  fact,  fugitive  bands 
of  friendly  Indians  who  were  running  away  from  danger  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  State,  as  unwilling  as  the  white  inhabitants  for  the  happening 
of  hostilities.  Men  who  were  then  children  in  the  settlements  have 
related  to  the  writer  how  these  wild  reports,  told  from  cabin  to  cabin, 
made  their  hair  stand  on  end,  and  of  the  hasty  preparations  of  the  heads 
of  families  for  flight  to  the  eastern  settlements,  in  view  of  the  possible 
danger  to  their  families. 

PLEASED  WITH  THE  WHITE  MAN'S  COFFIN 

"The  Nox  family  settled  near  where  the  village  of  Sidney  is  situated 
about  1828,  and  then,  and  for  some  years  thereafter,  the  Pottawattamies 
frequently  camped  near  their  house  and  at  other  places  along  the  Salt 
Fork.  While  thus  encamped  on  one  occasion,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
creek  near  the  residence  of  William  Peters,  one  of  their  chief  men  died. 


94  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

The  tribe  was  about  to  emigrate  to  the  West  and,  wishing  to  transport 
the  body  of  their  dead  chief  thither,  they  applied  to  William  Nox  and 
Mr.  Hendricks,  who  were  somewhat  skilled  in  the  use  of  tools,  to  manu- 
facture for  the  deceased  a  white  man's  coffin.  This  they  did  by  splitting 
from  a  log  some  thin  puncheons  and  working  them  into  suitable  shape. 
The  finished  coffin  so  well  pleased  the  braves  that  they  gave  to  each 
workman  a  nicely  tanned  buckskin.  Upon  their  removal  soon  after  to 
the  West,  the  coffined  body  was  taken  with  them. 

INDIAN  SEPULTURES 

"Early  white  settlers  were  induced  to  observe  the  mode  of  sepulture 
practiced  by  some  of  the  Indian  sojourners  here.  In  the  timber  at 
what  was  called  Adkins  Point,  at  the  north  extremity  of  the  Big  Grove, 
was  a  place  of  deposit  for  the  bodies  of  their  dead.  Instead  of  burying 
the  bodies  in  the  ground,  they  first  wrapped  them  in  blankets  around 
which  bark  stripped  from  a  tree  was  placed,  tying  the  whole  tightly 
together  with  thongs  cut  from  rawhide.  The  bodies  were  then  bound 
with  withes  to  horizontal  limbs  of  large  trees.  Fifteen  or  twenty  might 
have  been  seen  thus  suspended  at  one  time.  As  the  encasing  blankets 
and  bark  coffins  rotted  away,  the  corpses  would  drop  to  the  ground. 
It  was  the  custom  to  deposit  the  ornaments  of  the  dead  Indian  with 
him,  and  rings,  bells  and  brooches  of  silver  were  sometimes  found  there. 

MIAMIS  PASSING  TO  THE  WEST 

"About  1832  a  large  body  of  Indians  (believed  to  have  been  Miamis), 
900  in  number,  in  moving  from  their  Indiana  reservation  to  the  western 
territories,  passed  through  Champaign  County,  crossing  the  Salt  Fork 
at  Prather's  Ford  a  mile  or  so  above  St.  Joseph,  thence  by  the  north 
side  of  Big  Grove  to  Newcom's  Ford  and  by  Cheney's  Grove.  It  is 
said  the  caravan  extended  from  Prather's  Ford  to  Adkins'  Point,  as 
the  northern  extremity  of  Big  Grove  was  then  called.  These  Indians 
were  entirely  friendly  to  the  whites  and  encamped  two  days  at  the  Point 
for  rest,  where  the  settlers  gathered  around  for  trade  and  to  enjoy  their 
sports. 

EN  EOUTE  FOR  WASHINGTON 

"In  the  winter  of  1852-53  came  a  company  of  braves  from  the  West 
through  Urbana,  on  their  way  to  Washington  to  have  a  talk  with  the 
President.  While  stopping  here  one  of  their  number  died,  and  was 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Urbana.  His  comrades  greatly  mourned 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COTJXTY  95 

him,  and  planted  at  the  head  of  his  grave  a  board,  upon  which  were 
divers  cabalistic  decorations.  After  committing  his  body  to  the  grave, 
his  comrades  blazed  a  road  with  their  tomahawks  to  the  Bone  Yard 
branch,  to  guide  the  dead  man's  thirsty  spirit  to  the  water." 

LAST  OF  THE  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  INDIANS 

As  stated,  as  late  as  the  Black  Hawk  War  scattered  bands  of  Kicka- 
poos,  Pottawattamies  and  Delawares  were  still  roaming  through  the 
woods  and  over  the  prairies  of  central  and  eastern  Illinois,  killing 
squirrels,  wild  turkeys,  grouse  and  deer.  About  the  1st  of  March  they 
usually  returned  in  a  body  toward  the  Kankakee  for  the  purpose  of 
making  maple  sugar.  But  at  the  close  of  the  war,  the  whites  of  Indiana 
and  Illinois  made  a  general  demand  upon  the  Government  to  see  that 
all  Indians  were  moved  to  their  reservations  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
according  to  treaty  stipulations. 

The  Kickapoos  of  the  Vermilion  were  the  last  of  the  Illinois  Indians 
to  emigrate.  Finally,  in  1833,  the  last  of  them  joined  the  main  body 
of  the  tribe  in  their  reservation  west  of  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and 
were  afterward  moved  to  the  Indian  Territory. 


CHAPTEE  IV 

PIONEER  SETTLERS  AND  EVENTS 

WORK  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  SURVEYORS— THE  COUNTY'S  ORIGINAL 
SURVEY  RECORD — PIONEERS  SETTLED  IN  GEOVES  AND  TIMBER  BELTS 
— ROUTE  OF  FORT  CLARK  ROAD  THROUGH  COUNTY — RUNNEL 
FIELDER,  FIRST  SETTLER — TOMPKINS  SQUATS  ON  SITE  OF  URBANA — 
HENRY  SADOHUS — THE  COMING  OF  SADORUS  AND  SMITH — DISCOVER 
AND  DIVIDE  THE  GROVE — FIRST  SMITH  AND  SADORUS  CABINS — 
SADORUS,  SOLE  PROPRIETOR  OF  THE  GROVE — OCCUPATION  AND 
IMPROVEMENT  OF  THE  SMITH  CABIN — -MATTHIAS  AND  MARTIN 
RHINEHART — TRIPS  TO  CHICAGO — ONE  THOUSAND  MILES  TRIP  OF 

THE   CONKEY   FAMILY FlRST   SlGHT   OF  THE   GRAND   PRAIRIE — 

COL.  MATTHEW  W.  BUSEY — SETTLERS  IN  1828 — ISAAC  BUSEY  AND 
ISAAC  G.  BECKLEY — EARLIEST  LAND  ENTRIES — BIG  GROVE  PIONEERS 
— NORTHERN  SECTIONS  SETTLED  LATER — -JUDGE  CUNNINGHAM'S 
PIONEER  EPITOME — INDIAN  OCCUPATION — FIRST  WHITE  OCCUPANCY 
—FIRST  LAND  ENTRIES — DISEASES  AND  PIONEER  PHYSICIANS — 
EARLY  DEATHS — DECEASED  REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIERS — SCHOOLS — 
MILLS  OF  EARLY  DATE — PIONEER  PHYSICIANS — RELIGIOUS  PATH- 
FINDERS— MORE  ABOUT  THE  PREACHERS — EARLY  ROADS — WINTER 
OF  THE  DEEP  SNOW — A  CIRCULAR  HUNT — LANCASTER  AND  BLOOM- 
VILLE,  STRICTLY  PAPER  TOWNS — A  PROFESSIONAL  LAND  GRABBER 
—WHITE  MAN  SHAMED  BY  RED  "SAVAGE" — TAXPAYERS  AT  THE 
CREATION  OF  THE  COUNTY — Ax  IXSIDE  STORY  RELATING  TO  THE 
COUNTY  SEAT — OLD  SETTLERS'  SOCIETY. 

Two  years  after  the  Indian  treaty  at  Edwardsville,  by  which  the 
Kickapoos  of  the  Vermilion  ceded  their  lands  in  Champaign  County  to 
the  general  Government,  the  surveyors  of  the  United  States  commenced 
their  work  in  the  southeastern  sections.  In  1821,  Jacob  Judy,  James 
Thompson  and  James  Messenger  made  surveys  in  the  region  now  embraced 
by  the  townships  of  Raymond,  Ayers,  Sidney,  Homer,  St.  Joseph, 
Ogden  and  Stanton  and  parts  of  Rantoul  and  Compromise.  In  the 
following  year  the  territory  included  in  the  rest  of  the  county  was  sur- 
veyed by  Richard  P.  Holliday,  David  Anderson,  Patrick  0.  Lee, 
Benjamin  F.  Messenger,  Enoch  Moore  and  E.  Starr. 

96 


A  PIONEER  COUPLE  IN  THE  OLD  HOME 


1—7 


98  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

WOKE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  SURVEYORS 

Writing  in  1905,  the  late  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham  thus  describes 
the  nature  and  importance  of  the  work  as  performed  by  the  Government 
purveyors,  shortly  before  the  first  white  settlers  came  to  Champaign 
County:  "It  will  thus  be  seen  that  shortly  following  the  treaty  with 
the  Indians  which  extinguished  forever  their  claim  upon  the  territory 
now  known  as  Champaign  County,  came  the  United  States  surveyors, 
those  pioneers  of  civilization  whose  work  was  to  last  through  all  time 
and  be  law  to  all  future  dwellers.  The  lines  as  then  fixed  and  marked 
by  these  surveyors  are  the  lines  which  now  divide  the  townships,  school 
districts  and  farms  of  the  county,  and  which  determine  its  boundaries 
and  the  locations  of  most  of  its  public  roads. 

"When  the  treaty  already  referred  to  was  made  and  when  the  work 
of  the  United  States  surveyors  was  performed,  the  territory  later  organ- 
ized into  the  county  of  Champaign  was  within  the  bounds  of  the  county 
of  Crawford.  The  section  corners,  then  marked  by  the  throwing  up  of 
mounds  of  earth  around  stakes  charred  in  their  camp  fires,  were  easily 
found  by  other  surveyors  many  years  after  they  were  established. 

THE  COUNTY'S  ORIGINAL  SURVEY  EECORD 

"In  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  may  be  found  a  book  commonly 
called  the  Original  Survey  Eecord,  which  contains  transcripts  of  all  of 
these  surveys  carefully  copied  from  the  reports  and  plats  made  by 
the  General  Land  Office  by  these  original  surveyors.  Upon  the  left 
hand  pages  of  this  very  interesting  and  important  record  may  be  found 
directions  for  locating  every  section  corner,  as  marked  and  left  by  these 
men  eighty  years  ago,  while  upon  the  opposite  pages  are  found  very 
carefully  prepared  plats  in  colors  showing  every  grove  of  timber  and 
hazel  brush,  every  stream  or  considerable  branch,  and  every  pond,  as 
well  as  the  courses  and  location  with  reference  to  section  lines.  The 
number  of  acres  in  each  section  is  also  marked  thereon,  and  where  the 
section  is  fractional — that  is,  the  section  contains  more  or  less  than 
one  square  mile — the  number  of  acres  in  each  one-eighth  of  a  section  is 
also  shown. 

"This  record,  besides  being  important  as  a  factor  in  determining 
the  lines  and  titles  to  the  lands  within  the  county,  is  of  interest  to  one 
inquiring  into  the  early  history  of  the  county.  These  plats  and  notes 
were  made  by  the  men  of  the  white  race  who  first  minutely  examined 
these  landscapes.  They  show  the  county  with  reference  to  the  space 
occupied  by  timber  and  open  prairie,  just  as  they  appeared  to  Eunnel 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  99 

Fielder,  Henry  Sadorus  and  William  Tompkins  when  they  came  here  a 
few  years  thereafter. 

"The  question  has  no  doubt  often  been,  mentally  if  not  audibly,  asked 
by  the  dwellers  in  these  groves  and  upon  these  premises:  'Who  sur- 
veyed these  lands  into  the  sections  and  townships  which  now  divide  the 
country  into  farms,  neighborhoods  and  sections  and  townships?  Who 
piled  up  the  mounds  at  the  corners  of  the  sections,  in  the  absence  of 
better  monuments?  Whose  eyes  first  minutely  examined  these  land- 
scapes, and  who,  in  their  day-dreams,  heard  the  tramp  of  our  coming?' 
These  questions  have  often  been  asked  by  me,  and  I  presume  by  others. 
I  am  able  to  answer  from  official  intelligence. 

"It  is  well  here  to  speak  briefly  of  the  Rector  family,  who  were 
famous  in  Illinois  in  early  days. 

"The  Rector  family  came  to  Kaskaskia  in  1806,  when  the  lands  of 
the  United  States  were  to  be  surveyed.  This  was  a  numerous  family, 
consisting  of  nine  brothers  and  four  daughters.  They  were  natives  of 
Virginia.  All  were  remarkable  for  fearlessness. 

"William  Rector  had,  before  the  War  of  1812,  been  a  deputy  sur- 
veyor. During  that  war  he  commanded  a  regiment  as  its  colonel,  in 
the  campaign  against  the  Indians,  at  the  head  of  Peoria  Lake.  In  1816, 
Colonel  Rector  was  appointed  surveyor-general  of  Illinois,  Missouri  and 
Arkansas.  Some  of  his  brothers  were  deputies  under  him.  Colonel 
Rector  took  up  his  residence  in  St.  Louis  on  receiving  his  appointment, 
as  likewise  did  the  rest  of  the  family. 

"Townships  from  17  to  20,  in  ranges  7  to  8,  including  the  towns 
of  Sadorus,  Colfax,  Scott,  Mahomet,  Pesotum,  Tolono,  Champaign  and 
Hensley,  were  surveyed  into  sections  by  Richard  T.  Holliday,  for  Elias 
Rector,  deputy  surveyor,  in  1812. 

"Townships  21  and  22,  in  ranges  7  and  8,  including  the  towns  of 
Newcomb,  Brown,  Condit  and  East  Bend,  were  surveyed  by  David 
Anderson  and  Patrick  Oscar  Lee,  deputy  surveyors,  in  1823. 

"Townships  17,  18,  19,  20  and  21,  range  9,  including  the  towns  of 
Crittenden,  Philo,  Urbana,  Somers  and  a  part  of  Rantoul,  were  sur- 
veyed by  Benjamin  Franklin  Messenger,  deputy  surveyor,  in  1821. 

"Township  22,  in  ranges  9  and  10,  including  the  towns  of  Ludlow 
and  Harwood,  were  surveyed  in  1822,  by  Enoch  Moore,  deputy  surveyor. 

"Townships  17,  18,  19,  20  and  21,  range  10,  including  the  towns  of 
Raymond,  Sidney,  St.  Joseph,  Stanton  and  parts  of  Rantoul  and  Com- 
promise, were  surveyed  in  1821,  by  Jacob  Judy,  deputy  surveyor. 

"Townships  17,  18,  19  and  20,  range  14  west,  including  the  towns 
of  Homer  and  Ogden,  were  surveyed  in  1821,  by  James  Thompson, 
deputy  surveyor. 


100 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


"Township  21,  range  14  west,  including  part  of  Compromise  Town- 
ship, was  surveyed  in  1821,  by  James  Messenger,  deputy  surveyor. 

"Township  22,  range  14,  including  part  of  Kerr  Township,  was  sur- 
veyed in  1822,  by  E.  Starr,  deputy  surveyor. 

"These  facts  in  relation  to  the  regular  townships  will  settle  the 
question  in  relation  to  the  narrow,  irregular  strips  running  through  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county,  known  as  range  11,  for  the  fixing  of 
the  corners  of  sections  in  the  regular  townships  at  the  same  time  operated 
to  divide  this  strip  into  townships  and  sections. 


xKKii  FAMILY 

"The  surveyors  went  heavily  armed  for  defense  against  the  cunning 
red  man,  and  not  unfrequently  were  ambushed  and  killed.  It  required 
not  only  a  knowledge  of  instruments  and  mathematics,  but  familiarity 
with  weapons  and  the  modes  of  Indian  warfare. 

"Nelson  Rector,  a  brother  of  Elias  and  Colonel  Rector,  nearly  lost 
his  life  while  engaged  in  surveying.  He  had  a  'company  of  surveyors 
out  on  the  waters  of  the  Saline  Creek,  in  Gallatin  County,  where,  on 
the  1st  of  March,  1814,  he  was  fired  on  by  the  Indians  and  severely 
wounded.  His  left  arm  was  broken,  a  ball  entered  his  left  side  and 
another  touched  his  face.  His  horse  carried  him  off,  and  he  recovered 
from  his  wounds.' " 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  101 

PIONEERS  SETTLED  IN  GROVES  AND  TIMBER  BELTS 

As  has  been  noted,  the  pioneers  of  the  county  chose  for  their  home- 
steads locations  in  the  beautiful  groves  and  timber  belts.  Among  the 
most  noted  of  these  was  Big  Grove,  comprising  a  body  of  heavily  timbered 
rich  land,  on  a  branch  of  the  Salt  Fork  and  nearly  in  the  center  of  the 
county,  twelve  miles  long  and  averaging  three  miles  in  width.  The 
prairie  country  around  was  also  most  delightful,  with  an  abundance 
of  good  water  everywhere.  Such  advantages,  with  the  added  fact  that 
the  well  known  Fort  Clark  Eoad,  which  runs  from  near  Danville  on  the 
Vermilion  River,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  to  the  Illinois  River, 
skirted  its  northern  borders,  naturally  directed  the  attention  of  potential 
home-makers  to  the  desirability  of  Big  Grove  as  a  place  of  residence. 
Even  before  generally  traveled  by  white  men,  it  was  a  favorite  route  for 
the  Kickapoos  journeying  between  the  Vermilion  and  their  chief  interior 
village  in  what  is  now  McLean  County. 

ROUTE  OF  FORT  CLABK  ROAD  THROUGH  COUNTY 

The  earliest  comers  to  Champaign  County  followed  this  convenient 
thoroughfare  from  a  point  about  two  miles  northeast  of  the  present  site 
of  Homer  northwest  through  Hickory  Grove  and  a  short  distance  north 
of  the  present  village  of  St.  Joseph,  where  it  crossed  the  east  branch  of 
the  South  Fork  at  Prather's  Ford,  thence  followed  the  western  branch 
of  that  creek  past  Hays  Grove  to  the  northern  point  of  the  Big  Grove, 
thence  crossing  what  was  afterward  Adkins  Point  and  Beaver  Dam, 
and  thence  it  bore  to  the  northwest,  crossing  the  Sangamon  at  Newcom's 
Ford,  and  from  that  point  up  the  west  bank  of  the  river  through  Cheney's 
Grove  (Saybrook)  to  Bloomington  and  Peoria — the  latter  then  called 
Fort  Clark. 

RUNNEL  FIELDER,  FIRST  SETTLER 

It  was  in  the  Big  Grove,  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Fort  Clark 
Road  and  about  four  miles  northeast  of  the  present  site  of  Urbana, 
that  Runnel  Fielder,  the  county's  first  settler,  squatted  with  his  family 
upon  a  bluff  near  Salt  Creek,  in  1822.  He  built  his  cabin  near  the 
northwest  corner  o'f  Section  12,  but  a  few  rods  from  what  is  known  as 
the  Blackberry  Schoolhouse.  This  was  the  first  residence  erected  in 
Champaign  County  by  a  white  man,  and  its  builder  also  broke  the  first 
land  in  that  section,  thereby  representing  the  pioneer  farmer  of  the 
white  race.  Charles  Fielder,  the  son  of  Runnel,  taught  school  near  Big 


102  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Grove  in  the  winter  of  1827-28,  and  was,  in  all  probability,  the  first 
teacher  of  the  county. 

The  pioneer  settler  of  Champaign  County  was  never  more  than  a 
squatter  upon  his  original  homestead.  Another  eventually  obtained  a 
title  to  his  land,  although  he  did  enter  the  eighty-acre  tract  east  of  his 
home  place  in  June,  1828,  which  was  the  first  entry  of  public  lands  in 
the  Big  Grove  neighborhood.  In  the  following  September,  Eunnel 
Fielder  was  appointed,  by  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Vermilion 
County,  supervisor  of  the  Fort  Clark  Eoad  from  Prather's  Ford  on 
the  Salt  Fork  to  the  western  line  of  Vermilion  County.  Soon  afterward 
he  emigrated  from  the  county,  and  about  1831  settled  in  Tazewell 
County;  that  is,  the  records  show  that  in  March,  1832,  he  executed  a 
deed  in  that  county  for  his  eighty  acres  in  Big  Grove  to  Isaac  Busey. 

TOMPKINS  SQUATS  ON  SITE  OF  URBANA 

Soon  after  the  coming  of  the  Fielders  to  Big  Grove,  William  Tomp- 
kins  settled  on  the  site  of  Urbana.  He  built  a  cabin  of  unhewn  logs 
twenty  feet  square  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  8,  which  was  known,  after  the  platting  of  Urbana,  as  Lot  No.  7 
of  Hooper  &  Parks'  Addition.  The  site  of  the  Tompkins  home  was  a 
patch  of  hazel  brush  and  small  timber,  also  upon  the  bank  of  Salt  Creek. 
The  cabin  was  standing  as  late  as  1855,  in  the  heart  of  Urbana,  and 
was  then  pointed  out  as  the  oldest  house  in  town.  The  locality  was 
of  special  historic  interest  also,  because  it  marked  a  well  known  camping 
ground  of  the  Ivickapoos  and  Pottawattamies,  and  the  remains  of  old 
corn  fields  were  plainly  visible  for  several  years  after  the  locality  com- 
menced to  be  well  settled. 

"Tompkins,"  says  Judge  Cunningham,  "like  other  early  settlers  of 
the  county,  must  have  occupied  this  land  as  a  squatter,  for  the  records 
show  no  entry  of  lands  by  him  until  February  5,  1830,  when  he  entered 
the  eighty-acre  tract  where  he  lived,  which  embraced  all  the  territory 
in  Urbana  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  city  limits,  east  by  Vine  Street, 
south  by  the  alley  north  of  Main  Street  and  west  by  a  line  running 
north  from  the  stone  bridge.  On  November  1,  1830,  he  also  entered 
the  eighty-acre  tract  lying  immediately  south  of  that  tract,  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  first  entry,  east  by  Vine  Street,  south  by  the  city 
limits  and  west  by  the  alley  next  west  of  Race  Street.  Before  this  last 
entry  Tompkins  had  improved  and  fenced  about  twenty  acres  which  lay 
mostly  south  of  Main  Street." 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  103 

HENRY  SADORTJS 

After  the  Fielders  and  Tompkinses,  the  next  family  to  settle  in 
Champaign  County  with  any  degree  of  permanence  was  that  headed 
by  Henry  Sadorus,  who  continued  to  reside  on  the  Okaw,  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  county,  for  a  period  of  fifty-four  years.  He  gave 
his  name  to  the  grove  and  the  township,  as  well  as  the  village  in  the 
extreme  northeastern  part  of  the  latter.  Mr.  Sadorus  had  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  about  1818,  then  thirty-five  years  of 
age,  immigrated  with  his  family  to  Indiana.  He  was  a  natural  trades- 
man and  money-maker,  and  had  amassed  quite  a  capital  for  the  times, 
when  he  started  for  the  Vermilion  country,  with  his  wife  and  six  chil- 
dren, in  1824.  The  eldest  of  the  children  was  a  lad  of  fourteen,  'who 
assisted  his  father  in  managing  the  five  yoke  of  steers  which  drew 
the  prairie  wagon  toward  the  Okaw.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
and  when  he  discovered  an  abandoned  cabin  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  Section  1,  Township  17,  Eange  7,  he  took  possession  of  it  and  the 
family  commenced  housekeeping.  He  remained  a  squatter  until  Decem- 
ber 11,  1834,  when  he  entered  the  quarter  section  at  the  Vandalia  land 
office.  His  son  William,  at  the  same  time,  entered  the  eighty-acre  tract 
adjoining  on  the  north,  which  were  the  first  entries  of  land  in  Sadorus 
Township. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Sadorus'  death  on  July  18,  1878,  the  Champaign 
County  Gazette  published  a  complete  and  appreciative  sketch  of  the 
deceased,  in  which  occurred  the  following :  "The  State  Eoad  from  Kas- 
kaskia  having  been  opened  and  passing  near  his  residence,  Mr.  Sadorus 
decided  to  erect  a  building  for  a  tavern.  The  nearest  saw  mill  was  at 
Covington,  Indiana,  sixty  miles  away,  but  the  lumber  (some  50,000 
feet)  was  hauled  through  unbridged  sloughs  and  streams,  and  the 
house  was  built.  For  many  years  Mr.  Sadorus  did  a  thriving  business. 
His  corn  was  disposed  of  to  drovers  who  passed  his  place  with  herds  of 
cattle  for  the  East,  besides  being  fed  to  great  numbers  of  hogs  on  his 
farms.  His  first  orchard,  now  mostly  dead,  consisted  of  fifty  Milams, 
procured  somewhere  near  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  From  them  were  taken 
innumerable  sprouts,  and  that  apple  became  very  common  in  this 
section. 

"In  common  with  nearly  all  the  pioneers,  Mr.  Sadorus  grew  his 
own  cotton,  at  least  enough  for  clothing  and  bedding.  A  half-fare 
sufficed  for  this,  and  the  custom  was  kept  up  until  it  became  no  longer 
profitable,  the  time  of  the  mother  and  three  daughters  being  so  much 
occupied  in  cooking  for  and  waiting  upon  the  travelers  that  they  could 
not  weave;  besides  goods  began  to  get  cheaper  and  nearly  every  immi- 


KM  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

grant  had  some  kind  of  cloth  to  dispose  of.  About  the  year  1846 
Mrs.  Sadorus  died,  and  seven  years  later  he  again  married,  this  time 
a  Mrs.  Eliza  Canterbury  of  Charleston. 

"Some  years  ago,  becoming  tired  of  attending  to  so  much  business, 
Mr.  Sadorus  divided  his  property  among  his  descendants,  retaining, 
however,  an  interest  which  enabled  him  to  pass  his  declining  years  in 
ease.  He  died  full  of  years,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  beloved 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  was  kind  and  hospitable  to  strangers, 
and  never  turned  a  needy  man  away  empty-handed  from  his  door." 

Judge  Cunningham  adds,  speaking  of  the  old  Sadorus  home  and 
Grove :  "The  home  thus  set  up  far  from  other  human  habitations  was 
the  abode  of  contentment,  hospitality  and  reasonable  thrift,  in  the 
first  rude  cabin  which  sheltered  the  family,  as  well  as  in  the  more 
pretentious  home  to  which  the  cabin  gave  place  in  due  time.  The  Grove 
was  a  landmark  for  many  miles  around,  and  the  weary  traveler  well 
knew  that  welcome  and  rest  always  awaited  him  at  the  Sadorus  home. 
Here  Mr.'  Sadorus  entertained  his  neighbors — the  Buseys,  Webbers 
and  others,  from  Big  Grove;  the  Piatts,  Boyers  and  others,  from  down 
on  the  Sangamon;  Coffeen,  the  enterprising  general  merchant,  from 
down  on  the  Salt  Fork;  the  Johnsons,  from  Linn  Grove,  and  the  dwell- 
ers upon  the  Ambraw  and  the  Okaw.  He  was  also  the  counsellor  and 
adviser  of  all  settlers  along  the  upper  Okaw  in  matters  pertaining  to 
their  welfare,  and  his  judgment  was  implicitly  relied  upon." 

THE  COMING  OF  SADORUS  AND  SMITH 

The  circumstances  surrounding  the  coming  of  Henry  Sadorus  to  the 
grove  which  bears  his  name,  with  the  main  facts  of  his  journey  thither, 
are  thus  told  by  Judge  Cunningham :  "Henry  Sadorus,  lovingly  known 
by  the  whole  country  to  the  day  of  his  death  as  Grandpap  Sadorus,  was 
born  in  Bedford  County,  Pennsylvania,  July  26,  1783,  four  years  before 
the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  The  spring  of  1817  found 
him  living  with  his  little  family — of  whom  William  Sadorus  (until  of 
late  also  a  venerable  resident  of  the  county),  then  about  five  years  old, 
having  been  born  July  4,  1812,  was  the  eldest — on  Oil  Creek,  Crawford 
County,  in  the  same  State.  The  Western  fever,  which  has  prevailed 
among  Americans  since  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  attacked  the  elder 
Sadorus  and,  from  the  native  timbers  of  that  region,  he  constructed  a 
raft  or  flat  boat,  upon  which  he  loaded  his  worldly  goods  and  family, 
and,  after  the  manner  of  that  time,  set  out  by  water  upon  a  long  journey 
westward. 

"The  flat  boat  was  built  upon  the  waters  of  Oil  Creek,  and  down  the 


HISTORY    OP   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  105 

adventurers  set  forth  in  pursuit  of  a  home  in  the  West,  they  knew  not 
where.  Following  the  creek  to  its  junction  with  the  Allegheny  River, 
that  stream  soon  bore  them  to  Pittsburgh  and  the  Ohio  River,  by  which 
means  their  frail  bark  in  time  landed  them  in  Cincinnati,  then  the 
emporium  of  the  Far  West.  One  shipwreck  alone,  at  the  head  of  Bien- 
nerhasset  Island,  befell  the  travelers.  The  flat  boat,  having  served  its 
purpose,  was  sold  in  Cincinnati  for  $1,700  in  James  Piatt's  shinplaster 
money,  making  the  travelers  rich  for  the  time  being,  but  in  six  months 
it  shared  the  fate  of  its  kind  and  was  worthless,  Mr.  Sadorus  again  being 
a  poor  man. 

"The  family  remained  in  Cincinnati  two  years,  when  Mr.  Sadorus 
again  drifted  westward,  stopping  successively  at  Connersville,  Flat  Rock 
and  Raccoon,  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  where  they  found  themselves  in 
the  spring  of  1824,  still  with  a  desire  to  go  West.  Early  in  that  year, 
Mr.  Sadorus  and  a  neighbor — one  Joe  Smith — fitted  themselves  out,  each 
with  a  team  of  two  yokes  of  oxen  and  a  covered  wagon,  suitable  for 
moving  their  families  and  goods.  Thus  accoutred,  they  again  set  their 
faces  westward,  intending  to  go  to  the  Illinois  country,  possibly  as  far 
as  Fort  Clark,  since  called  Peoria. 

"An  almost  trackless  forest  lay  between  them  and  their  destination. 
They  passed  the  site  of  the  city  of  Indianapolis,  then  but  recently 
selected  as  the  State  capital,  where  the  foundations  of  the  old  capitol 
buildings  had  but  just  been  laid.  Crossing  the  Wabash  River  by  a 
ferry  at  Clinton,  Indiana,  the  party  soon  encountered  the  Grand  Prairie. 
After  entering  Illinois,  they  met  with  only  one  house  between  the  State 
line  and  the  Okaw  River,  and  that  was  the  home  of  Hezekiah  Cunning- 
ham, on  or  near  the  Vermilion  River,  where  he  kept  a  small  trading 
post  for  traffic  with  the  Indians.  On  April  9,  1824,  the  party  reached 
the  isolated  grove  at  the  head  of  the  Okaw  River,  since  known  as  Sadorus 
Grove,  and,  as  usual,  encamped  for  the  night  near  the  place  which 
eventually  became  the  permanent  home  of  the  Sadorus  family. 

DISCOVER  AND  DIVIDE  THE  GROVE 

"A  brief  survey  of  their  surroundings  satisfied  the  party  that  a  point) 
had  been  reached  which  fully  met  all  their  demands  for  a  home.  So  far' 
as  they  knew  they  were  thirty  or  forty  miles  from  neighbors,  but  were 
surrounded  by  as  fruitful  a  country  as  was  to  be  found,  in  which  wild 
game  abounded  and  where  every  want  might  easily  be  supplied.  Accord- 
ingly, they  determined  here  to  remain  and  to  set  about  making  them- 
selves comfortable.  They  found  the  grove  whose  shelter  they  had 
accepted  was  three  or  four  miles  long  and  nearly  equally  divided  by  a 


106  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

narrow  place  in  the  timber,  through  which  the  Wabash  Eailroad  now 
crosses  the  stream.  So  the  two  heads  of  families  partitioned  the  tract 
covered  by  this  grove  between  themselves,  Smith  taking  the  south  end 
and  Sadorus  the  north  end — the  Narrows,  as  the  line  was  called,  being 
the  boundary. 

FIRST  SMITH  AND  SADOETJS  CABINS 

"Having  so  divided  the  beautiful  grove  of  timber  between  them,  the 
two  pioneers  proceeded  to  make  arrangements  for  a  permanent  stay  in 
the  place  chosen  for  a  home  by  building  for  each  a  cabin.  Smith 
erected  his  cabin  upon  the  site  of  the  first  encampment,  and  near  where 
the  old  Sadorus  home  now  stands,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  1. 
It  was  built  of  split  linn  logs,  sixteen  _by  sixteen  feet,  covered  with  split 
oaken  boards,  with  linn  puncheons  for  a  floor.  The  roof,  after  the 
manner  of  cabin  building,  was  laid  upon  logs  or  poles  laid  lengthwise  of 
the  cabin,  each  succeeding  pole  being  a  little  higher  than  the  last  and 
converging  toward  the  apex.  These  boards,  for  the  want  of  nails, 
which  were  not  to  be  had,  were  held  in  place  by  weight  poles  laid  length- 
wise over  the  butts  of  each  course.  The  door  was  made  of  split  boards 
held  in  place  by  wooden  pins.  The  window  was  only  a  hole  cut  in  the 
log  wall  to  let  in  the  light,  subsequently  covered  with  greased  muslin  to 
keep  out  the  cold. 

"The  Sadorus  home,  which  was  built  two  miles  north  on  Section  36, 
in  what  is  now  Colfax  Township  but  within  the  grove,  was  less  pre- 
tentious. It  was  built  of  the  same  material,  ten  by  twenty  feet,  but 
entirely  open  upon  one  side — what  is  called  a  'half-faced  camp.'  In 
this  cabin  windows  and  doors  were  entirely  dispensed  with. 

"Settled  in  these  crude  homes,  the  pioneers  set  about  preparing  for 
their  future.  The  summer  was  spent  in  the  cultivation  of  little  patches 
of  corn  and  garden  by  means  of  a  crude  prairie  plow  and  other  tools 
which  they  had  brought  with  them,  and  in  hunting  the  wild  game  for 
their  meat  and  peltries,  the  result  being  that,  as  the  autumn  approached, 
the  larders  of  the  families  were  well  supplied  with  the  best  the  country 
afforded.  The  wolves,  however,  ate  and  destroyed  much  of  their  sod 
corn. 

SADOBUS  SOLE  PROPRIETOR  OF  THE  GROVE 

"In  the  fall  the  heads  of  the  two  families,  having  well  laid  in  table 
supplies,  concluded  to  know  what  lay  to  the  west  of  them.  Filling 
their  packs  with  small  supplies  of  provisions,  with  their  rifles  upon 
their  shoulders,  they  again  set  out  on  foot  together  for  the  West,  leaving 
their  families  housed  as  we  have  seen.  They  traveled  as  far  as  Peoria, 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  107 

where  Smith  determined  to  remove  his  family.  Their  course  led  them 
by  the  way  of  Mackinaw  and  Kickapoo  Creek,  through  Indian  country. 
Returning  as  they  went,  after  an  absence  of  two  week,  they  found  at 
their  homes  everything  quiet  and  in  order. 

"Smith  at  once  sold  his  cabin  and  improvements  to  Sadorus,  the 
consideration  being  the  hauling  by  the  latter  of  a 'load  of  goods  from  the 
Okaw  timber  to  the  Illinois  River,  which  was  paid  according  to  agree- 
ment, and  the  south  end  of  the  grove,  with  all  the  improvements,  passed 
to  Mr.  Sadorus,  who  thus  became  the  only  inhabitant  of  the  south  end 
of  the  county. 

OCCUPATION  AND  IMPROVEMENT  OF  THE  SMITH  CABIN 

"The  Sadorus  family  lost  no  time  in  taking  possession  of  the  Smith 
cabin,  which  became  its  home  then,  and,  with  the  land  upon  which  it 
was  erected,  is  still  the  home  of  a  member  of  the  household,  Mr.  Allen 
Sadorus.  Its  comforts  were  exchanged  in  place  of  the  'half-faced  camp,' 
and  all  claim  to  the  upper  half  of  the  grove  was  abandoned.  The  land, 
thus  occupied  for  a  few  months  by  the  family,  many  years  afterward 
became  the  home  of  James  Miller. 

"The  Smith  cabin  was  daubed  that  fall,  which  means  that  the 
interstices  between  the  logs  were  filled  with  chinks  and  mud  to  prevent 
the  cold  from  intruding,  and  its  foundations  were  banked  with  earth 
for  a  like  purpose.  A  mud  chimney  was  built  outside  with  a  fireplace 
opening  inside  the  cabin,  and  carried  up  above  the  cabin  roof  with 
sticks  and  mud.  A  companion  cabin,  built  subsequently  a  few  feet 
away,  in  like  manner  supplied  with  a  mud  and  stick  chimney  and 
daubed  as  was  the  first,  added  to  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  the 
family.  A  single  sash  window  was  bought  in  Eugene,  Indiana,  a  few 
years  thereafter  and  that,  glazed  with  glass,  gave  the  family  one  glass 
window — the  first  in  Champaign  County — and  in  time  other  openings, 
answering  for  windows,  were  likewise  supplied. 

"These  cabins  did  duty  as  the  Sadorus  domicile  until  1838,  about 
fourteen  years,  when  the  permanent  home  was  erected." 

MATTHIAS  AND  MARTIN  RHINEHART 

The  Rhinehart  family  was  prominently  identified  with  the  early 
period  of  the  county's  development.  Matthias,  the  ancestor  in  these 
parts,  brought  his  family  from  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1828 
or  1829,  and  made  a  settlement  in  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  Section  26,  Somor  Township.  In  association  with  his  son-in-law. 


108 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


Walter  Rhoades,  he  entered  that  tract  in  February,  1830.  The  first 
postoffice  in  what  is  now  Champaign  Count}',  called  Van  Buren,  was 
established  thereon.  Mr.  Rhoades  lived  upon  that  tract  until  about 
1857,  when  he  sold  to  A.  M.  Fauley.  There  the  son,  Martin  Rhinehart, 
reached  manhood.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  enlisted  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War  for  service  in  Captain  Brown's  company  of  Mounted 
Rangers.  He  furnished  his  own  horse,  gun  and  clothing,  and  received 
for  his  services  $1  per  day.  For  many  years  he  shared  with  Thomas  L. 
Butler,  who  had  settled  near  Homer  at  about  the  same  time  as  the 
Rhinehart  family  farther  to  the  northwest,  the  honor  of  being  the  only 
survivor  who  participated  in  that  campaign  from  what  is  now  Champaign 
County.  Martin  Rhinehart  became  a  prominent  and  a  wealthy  citizen. 


A  HOUSEHOLD  TREASURE 

When  he  came  as  a  youth  to  the  central  part  of  the  county  there  were 
but  thirty-five  families  living  within  its  borders. 

INCIDENTS  RELATED  BY  RHINEHART 


"The  year  1831,"  he  once  related,  "was  almost  without  a  summer; 
the  cold  'weather  continued  until  late  in  the  spring  and  a  hard  frost 
set  in  on  September  20th,  it  being  so  severe  that  it  froze  the  corn,  cob 
and  all.  In  consequence  of  the  loss  of  the  crop,  times  got  close  and 
money  was  extremely  scarce.  The  following  year  settlers  were  com- 
pelled to  send  to  Kentucky  for  their  seed  corn.  In  December,  1836,  a 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUXTY  109 

deep  snow  lay  upon  the  ground.  It  began  to  rain  and  continued  all 
day,  when  suddenly  it  turned  intensely  cold,  making  ice  over  the  ground 
and  freezing  very  hard.  The  sudden  change  caught  many  persons  unpre- 
pared and  they  were  frozen  to  death.  Two  men  named  Hildreth  and 
Frame  were  crossing  Four  Mile  Prairie  on  that  day;  they  became 
bewildered,  lost  their  way  and  were  out  when  the  change  came.  They 
killed  their  horses  and  Frame  crawled  inside  the  body  of  his  horse  for 
protection  against  the  cold.  But  it  proved  his  tomb,  as  he  was  found 
there  frozen  to  death.  Hildreth  wandered  around  all  night,  and  when 
found  in  the  morning  was  so  badly  frozen  that  he  lost  his  toes  and 
fingers." 

Mr.  Ehinehart  also  spoke  of  the  early  doctors  of  that  day.  Dr. 
Saddler  was  one  of  the  first  physicians  of  the  county  and  was  accounted 
a  good  one.  It  is  related  of  him  that  he  attended  a  family  east  of 
Urbana.  This  family  had  a  large  patch  of  fine,  ripe  and  juicy  water- 
melons. The  doctor  continued  his  visits  long  after  the  patient  was 
convalescent,  and  the  family  dropped  upon  the  idea  that  the  water- 
melon patch  was  the  chief  attraction  and  the  cause  of  his  repeated  visits. 
They  gently  broke  the  news  to  him  that  his  patient  was  entirely  well, 
and  hinted  that  further  visits  were  entirely  superfluous.  The  doctor  went 
home  and  sent  in  a  bill  that  covered  all  the  visits.  The  family  refused 
payment.  Suit  was  brought  to  recover  the  amount,  when  the  family 
rendered  an  account  for  watermelons  devoured  by  the  doctor  as  an  offset, 
and  obtained  a  small  judgment  against  him.  All  the  neighbors  declared 
that  the  decision  was  a  most  just  one." 

TRIPS  TO  CHICAGO 

When  the  Sadorus  family  first  came  to  the  Grove  their  nearest  post- 
office  and  county  seat  was  Paris,  Edgar  County,  fifty-two  miles  to  the 
southeast.  Their  chief  trading  point  for  fifteen  years,  where  they 
marketed  their  hogs  and  bought  some  of  their  supplies,  was  Eugene, 
Indiana,  sixty  miles  away,  with  occasional  trips  to  Chicago.  The  first 
trip  made  by  Mr.  Sadorus  to  that  growing  trading  post  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan was  in  the  fall  of  1834.  Besides  himself  and  his  son,  Henry,  were 
Uncle  Matthew  Bu?ey  and  his  son,  Fountain  J. ;  Captain  Nox,  of  Sidney, 
father  of  Solomon  Nox;  Pete  Bailey,  of  Salt  Fork,  and  Hiram  Jackson. 
There  were  four  wagons,  each  drawn  by  five  yoke  of  oxen.  The  Sadorus 
outfit  had  oats  for  sale.  The  company  assembled  at  Poage's,  north  of 
Homer,  journeyed  northward  by  way  of  Pilot  Grove  and  Bourbonnais 
Grove,  forded  the  Kankakee  River  and  swam  creeks  and  streams  to  the 
number  of  eleven,  before  they  reached  Fort  Dearborn,  after  three  weeks 


110  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  almost  continuous  rain.  The  Sadorus  oats  had  sprouted  from  one  to 
two  inches  when  the  caravan  arrived  at  its  destination,  but  the  garrison 
at  the  Fort  was  glad  to  get  them  at  that,  for  fifty  cents  a  bushel.  Mr. 
Sadorus  purchased  of  the  widely  known  trader,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  for 
his  return  trip,  salt,  sugar,  coffee  and  other  family  supplies. 

These  trips  to  Chicago  became  quite  frequent.  In  1830  the  Conkey 
family  had  come  from  Massachusetts  and  settled  in  Edgar  County,  and 
two  years  afterward  William  A.,  then  a  boy  of  twelve,  made  his  first 
visit  to  Ford  Dearborn  and  the  trading  post  at  that  point.  His  elder 
brother  "geed"  and  "hawed"  the  ox-team.  The  wagon  was  loaded  with 
flour,  meat,  butter,  eggs  and  other  produce,  and  the  trip  was  made  by 
way  of  Danville.  Nothing  disagreeable  occurred  until  the  Calumet 
River  was  reached,  when  the  precious  freight  was,  for  a  time,  threatened 
by  the  soft  mud  of  its  bottom.  But  the  cargo  and  wagon  were  finally 
rescued,  and  Gurdon  Hubbard  was  none  the  wiser.  The  Conkeys  laid 
in  a  good  supply  of  salt  and  other  family  provisions  for  the  return 
journey. 

ONE  THOUSAND  MILE  THIP  OF  THE  CONKEY  FAMILY 

The  same  younger  Conkey  brother  settled  at  Homer  in  1843  as  one 
of  the  pioneer  physicians  of  the  county,  and  years  afterwards  read  a 
paper  before  the  Champaign  Historical  Society  describing  the  one 
thousand  mile  journey  of  the  family,  made  in  1830,  from  their  old 
Massachusetts  home  to  their  new  home  in  Edgar  County,  Illinois.  It 
reads  thus:  "At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  my  friend,  Judge  Cunning- 
ham, one  of  the  promoters  of  this  society,  I  consented  to  present  a 
paper  setting  forth  a  few  incidents  of  the  trip  (as  I  now  remember 
them)  of  the  immigration  of  my  father  and  his  family  from  Massachu- 
setts to  Illinois  in  the  year  1830.  Some  few  years  previous  to  that  time  a 
brother  of  my  mother's  from  the  adjoining  town  to  our  residence,  against 
the  wishes  and  entreaties  of  his  friends,  relatives  and  neighbors,  started 
west  to  see  if  he  could  find  a  country  presenting  better  facilities  for  a 
permanent  home  than  he  had  among  the  hills  and  rocks  of  the  East. 
He  had  a  distant  relative  of  his  wife  living  in  Vigo  County,  Indiana, 
and  to  that  point  they  drifted;  and  after  examining  the  country  around 
there  went  west  to  the  prairies  of  Illinois,  which  presented  such  an  in- 
viting appearance  to  him  that  he  at  once  decided  to  stop  there  and  make 
it  his  future  home,  being  near  Paris,  the  county  seat  of  Edgar  County. 
The  glowing  description  he  gave  his  old  associates  of  the  country  he  had 
found  induced  my  father  to  join  him  in  Illinois.  My  oldest  brother 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  111 

% 

having  preceded  the  rest  of  the  family  a  year  or  so  before,  and  having 
purchased  a  forty-acre  tract  of  land  adjoining  his  uncle's  for  the  use  of 
the  family  on  which  to  make  a  new  start  in  life.  Some  time  about  the 
first  of  May,  1830,  we  bade  goodbye  to  the  old  homestead  in  Charlemont, 
Franklin  County,  Massachusetts,  and  the  old  friends  and  neighbors, 
which  to  them  seemed  more  like  a  funeral  than  a  temporary  separation, 
and  started  with  such  household  goods,  clothing,  etc.,  as  loaded  two 
wagons  and  teams,  hired  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  them  to  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  a  distance  of  about  fifty  miles;  at  which  place  we  were  joined 
by  a  brother  and  sister  of  my  mother's  with  a  span  of  horses  and  a  light 
wagon  which  accompanied  our  family  the  entire  trip.  Remaining  in 
Troy  two  or  three  days,  we  got  passage  on  a  canal  boat  for  the  entire 
family  (save  the  uncle,  who  drove  his  team  to  Buffalo),  the  family  then 
being  my  father,  mother,  aunt  and  a  sister  aged  thirteen  and  myself — 
five  in  all.  After  a  slow  and  tedious  trip  we  joined  my  uncle  and  team 
again  at  Buffalo — a  distance  of  about  250  miles  from  Troy. 

"The  trip  while  on  the  canal  was  a  slow  and  tedious  one.  Not  having 
any  record  of  the  time  and  after  an  absence  of  nearly  seventy  years,  I 
will  not  attempt  to  say  how  long  it  took  us.  It  was  on  this  part  of  our 
journey  that  I  first  heard  boys  scientifically  swear;  it  seemed  that  at 
every  change  of  horses  and  drivers  the  new  driver  endeavored  to  show 
us  that  he  could  do  more  hard  swearing  than  any  of  our  former  ones, 
and  I  think  if  such  a  thing  were  possible  our  last  one  was  entitled  to 
the  plum. 

"On  our  arrival  at  Buffalo  we  had  to  wait  two  or  three  days  before 
we  were  able  to  get  passage  to  Perrysburg,  situated  on  the  lake  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Maumee  River,  at  or  near  where  Toledo  is  now  situated. 
Having  succeeded  in  getting  passage  on  a  popular  schooner,  commanded 
by  Captain  Wilkinson,  an  old  lake  captain,  we  loaded  our  goods,  horses 
and  wagon  on  board,  and  with  a  few  other  men  going  west  and  with 
two  additional  ladies,  took  possession  of  the  cabin,  located  in  the  'hole' 
of  the  craft  and  quite  a  cozy,  neat  apartment.  When  supper  was  an- 
nounced, a  majority  of  the  passengers  asked  to  be  excused  from  partici- 
pating, the  rolling  of  the  boat  having  relieved  them  from  all  feeling  of 
hunger,  besides  occupying  their  time  in  attending  to  the  duties  required 
to  keep  their  stomachs  from  getting  in  their  mouths;  but  fortunately  I 
had  not  yet  taken  the  disease  and  was  able  to  do  justice  to  the  good 
things  we  had  for  supper,  awaiting  my  time  until  later.  Sometime  after 
midnight  a  heavy  storm  came  up;  the  waters  became  very  angry,  and 
occasionally  a  wave  would  wash  over  our  boat  so  that  the  most  of  those 
who  did  not  want  any  supper  forgot  their  sickness  and  fully  expected  to 


112  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

go  where  sickness  never  comes.  Before  morning  and  to  cap  the  climax, 
a  very  strong  gale  of  wind  broke  the  mainmast  of  our  craft  and  all  below 
at  the  crash  expected  to  find  themselves  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake;  but 
about  this  time,  the  fury  of  the  storm  began  to  abate  and,  with  the 
smaller  mast,  the  sailors  kept  the  boat  in  an  upright  position  until  day- 
break when  at  about  10  or  11  o'clock  they  landed  at  Dunkirk  and  rigged 
another  mainmast  so  that  by  dark  they  were  in  condition  to  proceed,  but 
waited  until  the  latter  part  of  the  night  before  they  left.  Before  start- 
ing from  Buffalo  they  had  erected  a  good  strong  fence  or  pen  around 
our  horses  which  were  on  top  of  the  boat  and  fortunately  when  the  mast 
broke  it  fell  in  such  a  direction  as  not  to  strike  them.  Well,  when  morn- 
ing came  and  breakfast  was  ready,  and  the  tender-footed  found  they  were 
alive,  the  most  of  them  partook  of  such  diet  as  they  thought  their  stom- 
achs would  stand.  Now,  in  all  seriousness,  this  was  no  pleasant  trip  so 
far,  and  in  after  years  the  recollection  of  that  night  brought  up  memo- 
ries in  the  minds  of  most  of  those  present  that  were  far  from  pleasant. 
"The  next  night  after  leaving  Dunkirk  the  lake  again  became  very 
rough,  accompanied  by  high  winds  that  drove  our  boat  and  stranded  it 
in  shallow  water  near  Long  Point,  which  extends  into  the  lake  from  the 
Canada  side,  and  not  to  exceed  one-fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  mainland; 
and  on  getting  up  in  the  morning  we  found  ourselves  fast  on  the  sand, 
and  all  that  could  be  done  was  to  remain  there  until  we  could  attract 
the  attention  of  some  passing  boat  for  our  relief  by  coming  to  our  assist- 
ance and  lightening  our  boat  so  it  would  again  float.  As  soon  as  it 
became  light  enough,  our  captain  had  his  flag  of  distress  run  up  to 
the  highest  point  of  our  mainmast,  but  having  by  the  wind  been  driven 
so  far  north  and  out  of  the  usual  track,  we  remained  in  our  then-present 
position  for  five  days  and  nights  before  our  distress  signal  was  seen, 
when  a  passing  schooner  discovered  it,  came  to  our  relief,  and  after 
taking  enough  of  our  cargo  to  allow  our  boat  to  again  float,  we  got  into 
deeper  water,  and  reloading  our  freight  again  proceeded  on  our  voyage. 
Having  been  delayed  there  so  long,  our  provisions  were  getting  short, 
but  got  a  supply  from  our  rescuer  to  relieve  us  until  we  landed  at  Cleve- 
land without  any  suffering,  except  food  for  our  horses  which,  while 
stranded,  had  eaten  all  we  had  provided  for  them,  and  the  Canada  shore 
having  no  show  of  vegetation  we  unpacked  several  crates  of  queensware 
on  board  and  fed  them  the  dirty,  musty  straw  which  they  ate  with 
avidity,  and  which  kept  them  alive  until  we  reached  Cleveland.  Before 
getting  to  the  pier  we  sailed  along  close  to  the  land  for  quite  a  distance 
where  stock  was  grazing  on  the  green  grass,  which  our  starved  horses 
aboard  discovered,  and  they  became  perfectly  frantic  and  so  cross  that 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  113 

the  sailors  passing  them  on  deck  dared  not  go  near  them.  When  we 
got  to  where  we  could  take  them  off  and  where  they  could  get  something 
to  eat  they  soon  got  all  right. 

"Here  we  also  took  our  wagon  off  the  boat  and  my  uncle  drove  them 
to  Perrysburg,  getting  there  a  few  days  after  the  boat  arrived,  and  where 
we  waited  until  he  joined  us.  Here  we  saw  many  Indians,  and  in  fact 
hardly  a  day  passed  until  we  got  to  Logansport,  Indiana,  that  we  did 
not  encounter  more  or  less  of  them.  While  awaiting  the  arrival  of  uncle 
with  the  team,  at  Perrysburg,  we  contracted  to  be  conveyed  by  keel  boat 
up  the  Maumee  River  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  a  distance  of  about  ninety 
miles  on  a  straight  line,  but  how  far  by  that  tortuous  river  I  don't 
know;  it  seemed  a  long  way.  Our  crew  was  composed  of  a  captain  who 
steered  the  boat  and  six  men,  three  of  which  worked  on  each  side  of  the 
boat  and  propelled  the  craft  by  long  poles,  the  lower  end  of  each  pole 
covered  with  a  sheath  of  iron  drawn  to  a  point  and  by  walking  from 
stern  to  bow  dragging  the  poles  thus  equipped,  and  then  facing  the  stern 
of  the  boat,  placing  the  lower  end  on  the  bottom  of  the  river  and  the 
upper  end  against  their  shoulders,  pushing  the  boat  the  length  of  it 
and  getting  up  a  speed  to  carry  it  along  until  they  walked  again  to  the 
bow  and  repeated  their  trip  to  stern  as  before  stated,  walking  on  a  wide 
board  with  slats  nailed  across  the  top  to  prevent  their  slipping,  and  when 
the  boat  is  loaded  is  but  a  few  inches  above  the  water. 

"At  Perrysburg  we  again  put  our  wagon  on  board  the  boat,  and  either 
uncle  or  father  rode  one  of  the  horses  and  led  the  other;  there  was  no 
wagon  road  the  most  of  the  way,  only  a  trail  traveled  by  the  mail  car- 
rier on  horseback  and  marked  by  cutting  three  notches  in  each  side  of 
a  tree  occasionally  as  a  guide.  After  arriving  at  Fort  Wayne  (an  old 
town  from  the  appearance  of  the  buildings,  and  I  think  a  population  not 
exceeding  200  or  300)  we  were  compelled  to  remain  there  until  our  men 
folks  went  across  a  low  flat  timbered  country  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles 
to  the  Wabash  River  to  see  what  the  chance  was,  if  any,  to  get  trans- 
portation down  said  stream  to  a  point  about  seven  miles  above  Terre 
Haute.  They  were  gone  three-or  four  days,  and  on  their  return  reported 
that  the  only  chance  to  get  down  said  stream  that  they  could  find  or 
hear  about  was  to  purchase  a  pirogue  and  float  down.  They  accordingly 
found  one  made  of  a  large  poplar  tree,  about  fifty  feet  in  length,  holding 
its  size  pretty  well  its  entire  length,  the  inside  measure  at  the  large  end 
nearly  three  feet  and  the  small  end  twenty-eight  inches.  This  they  pur- 
chased, the  party  agreeing  to  have  it  at  a  certain  place  where  it  could 
be  reached  by  wagon  from  Fort  Wayne,  and  returned. 

"We  then  engaged  a  couple  of  wagons  and  teams  to  haul  us  to  the 

1—8 


114  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

river  in  a  day,  but  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  roads  and  no  wagons 
having  passed  over  them  since  the  fall  before,  trees  had  been  blown  down 
and  across  the  track,  some  of  which  were  where  we  could  not  get  around, 
and  consequently  had  to  spend  so  much  time  in  removing  them  that 
dark  overtook  us  some  four  miles  from  the  river.  We  consequently 
halted,  and  after  building  a  big  fire  interested  the  female  portion  of  our 
party  in  preparing  supper.  We  then  changed  the  position  of  the  load 
in  one  wagon  so  as  to  get  a  sleeping  place  for  my  mother  and  her  sister, 
while  my  sister  and  I  stowed  ourselves  away ;  and  there  we  all  spent  the 
first  night  of  our  lives  in  a  wagon,  while  the  older  males  of  the  party 
put  in  the  time  until  morning  keeping  up  the  fire  and  spinning  yarns, 
after  having  satisfied  some  six  or  eight  Indians  who  visited  them  (having 
been  attracted  by  the  fire)  that  we  had  no  whisky. 

"The  next  morning,  after  getting  breakfast,  we  struck  out  and  found 
our  boat,  in  which  we  proceeded  to  place  our  freight,  having  plenty  of 
room  for  sleeping  quarters.  Here  again  we  loaded  on  our  boat  our 
wagon  and,  as  on  part  of  our  voyage  previously  spoken  of,  one  of  the 
older  ones  traveled  with  the  horses,  saluting  our  craft  occasionally 
through  the  day,  and  if  convenient,  staying  with  us  at  night.  The 
weather  was  warm  and  comfortable,  and  by  this  time  (it  being  June)  we 
leisurely  floated  along  for  several  days  without  anything  unusual  occur- 
ring. Almost  any  one  of  us  could  steer  our  craft  until  one  night,  when  all 
together  and  all  asleep,  the  moon  having  gone  down  and  hardly  a  ripple 
on  the  water,  our  craft  tipped  to  one  side,  and  before  we  could  get  it 
righted  up  was  at  least  one-third  full  of  water ;  and,  attracted  by  a  noise 
on  shore  like  the  cracking  of  brush,  we  were  fully  satisfied  that  someone 
had  stepped  upon  the  edge  of  our  craft,  as  we  always  thought,  for  the 
purpose  of  purloining  something,  and  having  tipped  our  boat  and  at 
the  same  time  awakened  its  occupants,  left  in  a  hurry;  and  on  the  next 
morning  we  found  footsteps  to  and  also  going  in  the  direction  of  the 
cracking  heard  the  night  before.  After  righting  up  our  boat  we  went 
to  work  and  dipped  all  the  water  out  we  could  get,  and  where  our  clothes 
were  wet  replaced  them  by  dry  ones,  but  we  did  no  more  sleeping  that 
night. 

"The  next  day  was  bright  and  warm  and  again  we  started  on  our 
journey,  and  as  luck  would  have  it,  my  uncle,  who  was  with  the  horses, 
found  another  pirogue  nearly  as  large  as  the  first  one,  only  about  thirty- 
five  feet  long,  which  he  bought,  and  when  we  got  along  he  hailed  us  in 
good  time  to  land, .when  they  lashed  the  two  boats  together  and  made 
a  very  safe  and  commodious  craft.  The  only  thing  missed  from  our 
boat  was  my  mother's  willow  work  basket  in  which  she  had  her  knit- 


THE  OLD  CABIX,  WITHIN-  AXD  WITHOUT 


116  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ting  and  other  work,  which  we  found  the  next  morning  in  a  drift  about 
a  mile  below  where  it  was  tipped  out  the  night  before. 

"The  balance  of  our  trip  was  free  from  any  other  mishaps  worthy  of 
note,  drifting  with  the  current  by  day  and  tying  up  at  night,  making 
stops  only  at  towns  occasionally  to  replenish  our  larder,  until  we  arrived 
at  Durkee's  Ferry,  seven  miles  above  Terre  Haute,  where  we  found  my 
oldest  brother,  who  had  come  to  meet  us,  and  a  representative  of  the 
distant  relative  of  my  uncle  and  wife,  spoken  of  in  the  fore  part  of 
this  paper,  tendering  us  the  hospitality  of  their  home  until  we  could 
get  moved  to  our  destination,  which  invitation  was  thankfully  received, 
and  on  the  same  day  had  our  goods  conveyed  there  and  remained  until 
everything  was  unpacked  and  such  as  had  got  wet  from  the  tipping  over 
of  our  craft,  thoroughly  dried. 

FIRST  SIGHT  OF  THE  GRAND  PRAIRIE 

"After  a  day  or  two  my  father  and  uncle,  with  our  own  conveyance, 
drove  to  the  place  of  our  destination,  about  fifteen  miles  west,  where 
father  procured  a  couple  of  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  wagon  and  returned  to 
where  he  had  left  us.  After  reloading  a  portion  of  our  goods,  he  returned 
to  where  he  had  procured  a  log  cabin  in  the  neighborhood,  and  in  which 
we  remained  until  he  built  a  house  on  the  land  heretofore  spoken  of. 
My  father  permitted  me  to  accompany  him  with  the  first  load.  The 
first  nine  miles  of  the  road  was  through  timber,  when  we  struck  the 
Grand  Prairie  as  it  was  then  called.  The  grass  waving  in  the  beautiful 
sunlight  of  June  and  all  the  wild  flowers  indigenous  to  the  prairies 
bowing  their  heads  to  the  breeze,  presented  a  sight  that  I  thought  the 
most  beautiful  I  had  ever  beheld,  the  remembrance  of  which,  notwith- 
standing seventy  years  have  passed  and  gone  since  then,  is  still  as  vivid 
to  my  mind,  it  seems,  as  the  day  when  I  first  viewed  the  beauties  of 
the  grand  old  prairies  of  Illinois. 

"This  brings  us  to  the  end  of  our  trip,  a  distance  of  820  miles  in 
straight  lines,  as  follows:  from  Charlemont  to  Troy,  fifty;  thence  to 
Buffalo,  250 ;  thence  to  Perrysburg,  240 ;  thence  to  Fort  Wayne,  ninety ; 
thence  to  Durkee's  Ferry,  180;  thence  to  destination,  fifteen;  said  com- 
putations being  from  points  named  derived  from  the  scale  of  miles 
marked  on  the  map  of  each  state  traveled.  Taking  into  account  the 
tortuous  course  of  the  streams  navigated,  and  land  traveled,  the  dis- 
tance was  at  least  1,000  miles." 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  117 

COLONEL  MATTHEW  W.  BUSEY 

The  pioneer  of  the  Busey  families,  who  have  been  so  prominent  in 
all  fields  of  development  in  Champaign  County,  was  Colonel  Matthew 
W.,  who  came  to  the  Urbana  region  in  the  early  part  of  1828  with  his 
wife  and  eight  children,  and  purchasing  the  claims  of  one,  Sample  Cole, 
a  squatter  on  the  north  end  of  the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  Section  15  for  $100,  established  there  his  homestead,  which  he  occu- 
pied until  his  death  in  1852.  Born  in  Shelby  County,  Kentucky,  May 
15,  1798,  the  Colonel  was  blessed  with  the  typical  hospitality  and  genial- 
ity of  his  southern  forefathers,  although  the  paternal  family  moved  to 
Washington  County,  Indiana,  at  an  early  date.  In  the  matter  of  friend- 
liness and  neighborliness  the  Buseys  certainly  lost  none  of  these  traits 
by  moving  from  Kentucky  to  Indiana.  In  the  Hoosier  State  young 
Busey  learned  the  trade  of  brick  mason,  which  he  at  first  followed  and, 
for  one  of  his  enterprising  temperament,  naturally  developed  into  the 
business  of  a  builder  and  contractor.  He  was  also  a  lover  of  fine  live- 
stock and  a  natural  farmer;  so  that  he  was  well  fitted  to  become  useful 
and  prominent  in  the  newer,  country  of  Illinois.  Before  settling  in 
Champaign  County  he  had  been  commissioned  colonel  in  the  Indiana 
State  militia,  and  a  few  years  after  his  arrival  here  was  similarly  hon- 
ored by  the  governor  of  Illinois.  So  that  his  "colonel"  was  no  empty 
title.  It  is  said  that  on  general  muster  day  there  was  no  more  resplen- 
dent and  imposing  figure  than  the  hearty  and  able  Colonel  Busey.  [See 
more  extended  biography  elsewhere.] 

SIMEON  H.  BUSEY 

The  most  prominent  of  Colonel  Busey's  sons  were  Hon.  Simeon  H. 
and  General  Samuel  T.  Busey,  and  they  were  leaders  in  business,  finance 
and  public  activities.  S.  H.  Busey,  the  elder,  and  the  first  son  born  to 
the  Colonel,  moved  with  the  family  from  his  native  place — Greencastle, 
Indiana — to  Urbana,  when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  He  became  a 
wealthy  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  but  invested  in  outside  business  inter- 
ests and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Champaign.  In  1867,  several  years  after  his  brother,  S.  T.,  had  made 
his  fine  military  record  in  the  Civil  War,  he  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Champaign  institution,  and  the  two  brothers  founded  Busey's  Ba,nk  in 
Urbana.  S.  H.  Busey  also  was  interested  in  Chicago  and  Peoria  banks 
and  other  large  enterprises,  which  proved  the  value  of  his  business  judg- 
ment. He  represented  his  district  in  the  thirtieth  General  Assembly 
(1876-78),  having  previously  been  active  and  influential  in  the  location 


118  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  the  University  of  Illinois  at  Urbana,  and  the  building  of  what  was 
afterward  known  as  the  Peoria  &  Eastern  Railroad,  a  part  of  the  Big 
Four  system.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  a  prominent  Mason.  His  death 
occurred  June  3,  1901.  Of  his  sons,  Matthew  W.  Busey  is  president  of 
Busey's  Bank,  Urbana ;  George  W.  Busey  is  president  of  the  Commercial 
Bank  of  that  place.  [See  more  detailed  biography  elsewhere.] 

GENERAL  SAMUEL  T.  BUSEY 

General  Samuel  T.  Busey  was  also  born  in  Greencastle,  Indiana,  in 
1835,  and  was  eleven  years  younger  than  Simeon  H.  He  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  at  Urbana  from  1856  to  1862,  when  he  sold  his 
business  and  was  commissioned  by  Governor  Yates  to  recruit  a  com- 
pany, with  which  he  went  into  camp  at  Kankakee  August  6,  1862.  At 
its  organization  as  Company  B,  Seventy-sixth  Regiment,  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, he  was  elected  its  captain  and  subsequently  was  chosen  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  regiment.  The  details  of  his  efficient  and  gallant  service 
are  given  in  the  chapter  on  military  matters;  for  the  present  purpose 
it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  he  reached  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier-general. 
After  the  war  General  Busey  engaged  in  farming,  and  was  thus  em- 
ployed when,  with  his  brother,  he  organized  Busey's  Bank  in  1867.  Gen- 
eral Busey  afterward  bought  the  interest  of  Simeon  H.,  and  associated 
himself  in  its  management  with  his  nephew,  Matthew  W.  General 
Busey's  prominence  in  public  life  is  briefly  indicated  by  the  facts  that 
he  served  as  mayor  of  Urbana  for  five  terms  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Fifty-second  Congress,  his  opponent  in  the  campaign  having  been  Joseph 
G.  Cannon.  General  Busey,  who  was  a  very  active  man  up  to  the  end 
of  his  life,  was  drowned  in  a  Minnesota  lake  August  22,  1909,  while 
he  was  away  with  his  family  on  a  summer  outing.  His  more  extended 
biography  appears  elsewhere. 

SETTLERS  IN  1828 

At  the  time  that  the  Colonel  established  his  household  in  the  Cole 
cabin,  only  five  families  lived  in  what  was  known  as  the  Big  Grove 
settlement — those  of  Runnel  Fielder,  Sample  Cole,  William  Tompkins, 
Philip  Stanford  (who  lived  north  of  the  Grove)  and  Thomas  Rowland, 
who  resided  on  Section  1,  Urbana.  No  one  had  settled  on  the  Sanga- 
mon.  Henry  Sadorus  was  already  at  Sadorus  Grove,  the  squatter  Stra- 
ley  at  Linn  Grove,  and  William  Nox  at  Sidney. 

In  1840,  Colonel  Busey  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the 
State  Legislature  and  was  reelected  in  1842.  He  was  very  active  in  the 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  119 

movements  against  the  Mormons,  which  were  at  their  height  during  his 
last  term  in  the  Legislature.  His  extensive  acquaintance  throughout 
the  state,  acquired  while  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  made  his  services 
valuable  in  securing  the  charter  of  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad,  and 
during  the  fights  for  the  location  of  the  county  seat  Colonel  Busey  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  securing  it  for  Urbana.  For  many  years  he 
served  as  assessor  for  the  county  and  township.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  given  much  of  his  attention  to  farming  and  livestock  operations, 
and  was  especially  known  as  a  breeder  of  fine  stock.  In  fact,  he  was  a 
leading  representative  in  everything  which  most  vitally  concerned  the 
well-being  of  his  section  of  the  state  and  of  Illinois  at  large. 

While  yet  a  resident  of  Washington  County,  Indiana,  Colonel  Mat- 
thew W.  Busey  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Bush,  who  survived  him 
until  1880,  when  she  died  at  the  home  of  her  son,  Colonel  S.  T.  Busey. 
By  that  union  there  were  six  children,  who  all  arrived  at  maturity : 
Simeon  H.,  John  S.,  Mary  C.  (Mrs.  John  C.  Kirkpatrick),  Louisa  J. 
(Mrs.  W.  H.  Romine),  Colonel  Samuel  T.,  Sarah  (Mrs.  J.  W.  Sim), 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Allen  McClain)  and  Matthew. 

As  early  as  May,  1831,  Colonel  Busey  entered  160  acres  in  Section  8, 
whereon  is  now  built  a  considerable  portion  of  the  city  of  Urbana,  and 
upon  which  stands  the  home  built  by  his  son,  General  S.  T.  Busey.  This 
step  was  taken  presumably  with  a  view  of  making  this  land  the  site  of 
his  homestead,  although  he  did  not  move  his  family  thither  until  1836. 
Before  his  death  December  18,  1852,  he  became  the  owner  of  most  of 
the  land  now  included  in  western  Urbana  and  eastern  Champaign. 

ISAAC  BUSEY  AND  ISAAC  G.  BECKLEY 

About  1831,  Isaac  Busey  came  with  his  son-in-law,  Isaac  G.  Beck- 
ley,  and  bought  out  William  Tompkins  who,  on  February  4,  1830,  had 
entered  the  lands  in  Sections  8  and  17,  Urbana,  where  he  had  lived  for 
some  time  as  a  squatter.  Beckley  settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  5,  Urbana. 

EARLIEST  LAND  ENTRIES 

The  earliest  actual  entries  of  land  in  the  county  were  made  in  what 
was  known  as  the  Salt  Fork  Timber,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 12,  Sidney  Township.  Jesse  Williams  made  the  first  in  the  east 
half  of  that  quarter  on  February  7,  1827.  The  tract  appears  to  have 
been  actually  occupied  by  Thomas  L.  Butler.  In  October  of  the  same 
year,  John  Hendricks  entered  the  other  half,  the  quarter  section.  In 


120  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

November,  1827,  Josiah  Conger  entered  land  about  two  miles  east  of 
the  Williams  piece. 

BIG  GROVE  PIONEEKS 

Big  Grove  appears,  as  has  been  noted,  to  have  the  honor  of  attract- 
ing most  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  "squatters." 
Besides  Fielder  and  Tompkins,  there  were  Elias  Kirby  and  family,  who 
came  in  August,  1829.  Early  settlers  who  entered  their  lands  in  that 
locality  were  John  Brownfield,  who  entered  his  claim  in  Section  35, 
Somer  Township,  at  the  Palestine  land  office,  September  2,  1830,  and 
Levi  Moore,  who  entered  240  acres  in  Section  21,  Somer  Township, 
which  he  sold  some  years  later  to  Lewis  Adkins,  who  in  turn  gave 
his  name  to  Adkins  Point.  Matthias  Rhinehart  entered  land  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  Section  26,  same  township,  in  February,  1830,  and 
he  had  already  resided  in  that  locality  since  1828. 

NORTHERN  SECTIONS  SETTLED  LATER 

The  timber  lands  in  the  southern  and  central  portions  of  the  county 
were  first  to  be  settled,  as  being  more  convenient  of  access  to  trading 
points  in  Edgar  County,  and  other  settled  districts  in  eastern  Illinois 
and  western  Indiana.  When  Danville  got  to  be  of  more  importance  as 
a  basis  of  supplies,  the  favorable  attention  of  the  pioneers  was  directed 
to  more  northern  points  in  what  is  now  Champaign  County,  especially 
to  the  Sangamon  region.  The  first  entry  of  lands  in  the  Sangamon 
Timber  was  made  by  Isaac  Busey,  October  22,  1832,  at  the  Vandalia 
land  office.  His  claims  covered  120  acres  in  Section  14,  80  acres  in 
Section  15  and  160  acres  in  Section  23,  now  in  Mahomet  Township. 
Later  in  that  year  he  entered  other  lands  in  Sections  22  and  23,  and 
on  October  27,  Jonathan  Maxwell  who,  it  is  claimed,  was  the  first  to 
make  his  home  in  the  township,  entered  40  acres  in  Section  22.  Within 
the  following  four  years  Sangamon  timber  lands  were  all  the  rage. 

The  far  northeastern  part  of  the  county  also  commenced  to  get  a 
large  accession  of  settlers.  The  first  of  them  was  Samuel  Kerr  who,  in 
1833,  entered  land  in  what  has  since  been  known  as  Sugar  Grove,  Sec- 
tion 9.  He  gave  his  name  to  the  township  in  the  northeastern  corner 
of  the  county. 

A  rapid  review  has  thus  been  taken  of  the  pioneer  period  in  Cham- 
paign County,  inclusive  of  the  year  1833,  when  it  attained  civil  and 
political  entity  and  was  organized  as  a  self-governing  body. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  121 

JUDGE  CUNNINGHAM'S  PIONEER  EPITOME 

Our  late  advisory  editor,  the  lamented  and  honored  Judge  J.  0. 
Cunningham,  was  the  best  authority  on  all  these  early  matters  and 
pioneer  characters.  From  the  records  of  his  pen,  now  at  rest,  the  fol- 
lowing is  extracted  as  the  most  complete  epitome  of  this  period,  being 
a  portion  of  his  paper  read  before  the  Old  Settlers'  Reunion  of  July  29, 
1886,  on  "Urbana  and  Somer  Townships":  "The  local- history  of  these 
two  townships  and,  in  fact,  the  early  history  of  the  county  during  the 
period  to  which  I  shall  refer,  which  will  be  anterior  to  the  period  of 
history  of  others  given  here  today,  are  practically  one;  for  around  the 
Big  Grove,  and  upon  territory  embraced  in  both  town-ships,  were  made 
the  first  settlements  of  the  county. 

IXDIAN  OCCUPATION 

"Our  earliest  historic  accounts  accord  the  territory  in  this  part  of 
Illinois  to  the  ownership  of  the  Kickapoo  Indians,  as  Indian  titles  were 
then  regarded.  In  the  year  1819,  at  Edwardsville,  Illinois,  at  a  treaty 
between  the  Kickapoo  nation  and  the  United  States  government,  repre- 
sented by  Ninian  Edwards,  a  treaty  was  concluded  by  which  that  people 
relinquished  their  rights  here,  and  then  passed  west  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  Indian  occupation  spoken  of  today  was  subsequent  to  this  date,  and 
by  bands  of  the  Pottawattamies,  who  hunted  and,  at  time,  abode  here. 
Tradition,  supported  by  the  testimony  of  many  old  settlers,  some  of 
whom  are  here  today,  says  that  the  site  of  Urbana  and  along  the  Bone 
Yard  branch,  was  an  Indian  village  of  the  Pottawattamies.  The 
presence  there  of  good  water,  fuel  and  an  abundance  of  game,  made  it 
a  favorite  camping  ground  with  them.  They  also  frequently  camped 
at  the  Clements  or  Clay  Bank  ford  farther  down  the  creek.  They 
buried  their  dead  at  Adkins  Point  near  where  John  Thornburn  now 
lives. 

FinsT  WHITE  OCCUPANCY 

"So  far  as  I  am  informed,  the  first  white  men  to  see  this  country 
were  the  United  States  surveyors  who.  divided  it  into  townships  and 
sections.  These  townships  were  surveyed  in  the  summer  of  1821  by 
Benjamin  Franklin  Messenger  under  the  authority  of  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment. There  doubtless  were  hunters,  trappers,  and  traders,  and 
perhaps  squatters  here  before  that  date,  but  they  left  no  name. 
The  earliest  squatters  known  to  us  were  Runnel  Fielder,  said  to 
have  been  the  first  white  inhabitant  of  the  county,  who  settled 


122  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

in  1822  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Section  11,  Urbana,  and 
built  a  cabin  there,  which  I  have  often  seen.  Fielder  entered 
no  land  until  June  21,  1828,  when  he  entered  the  west  half  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  12 — a  part  of  the  Roe  farm  now  owned 
by  Bate  Smith — on  which  he  planted  an  orchard,  the  first  in  either 
town,  if  not  in  the  county.  Some  of  the  trees  may  be  seen  yet.  Then 
there  were  John  Light,  who  had  a  cabin  where  Tom  Brownfield  now 
lives;  Gabriel  Rice,  who  had  his  cabin  on  Sol  Nox's  place;  Phillip 
Stanford,  who  lived  near  where  William  Roberts  now  resides  and  after- 
ward entered  part  of  that  farm,  and  David  Gabbert,  who  built  his  cabin 
just  north  of  this  park.  This  cabin  was  the  first  home  of  the  family 
of  Colonel  M.  W.  Busey,  who  came  here  in  1836.  The  Colonel  had 
been  here  before,  for  he  entered  the  eighty  where  we  now  are  in  1830. 
Besides  these,  there  were  Daggett,  who  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Grove,  and  William  Tompkins,  who  built  his  cabin  near  the  creek  near 
where  Halberstadt's  mill  is,  afterwards  in  1828  entering  the  land  which 
he  sold  to  Isaac  Busey  in  1830.  Tompkins  had  a  son  near  the  Harvey 
Cemetery,  who  was  also  a  squatter,  for  he  never  owned  any  land.  In 
his  cabin,  it  is  said,  was  born  the  first  white  child  in  the  county.  Soon 
after  1828  permanent  settlers  began  to  come  in — Thomas  Holland  in 
1828;  Matthew  Busey  in  1829;  Isham  Cook  in  1830;  and  soon  there- 
after and,  in  some  cases  before,  came  James  T.  Roe,  John  Brownfield, 
T.  R.  Webber,  W.  T.  Webber,  Jacob  Smith,  Jacob  Heater,  John  G. 
Robertson,  Isaac  G.  Beckley,  Sample  Cole  and  James  Clements.  Before 
many  of  these,  perhaps,  were  Phillip  M.  Stanford,  Sarah  Coe,  Robert 
and  William  Trickle,  Elias  Kirby,  and  Mijamin  Byers,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  this  part  of  Vermilion  County. 
They  all  settled  about  the  Big  Grove  in  these  two  townships  and 
soon  began  to  enter  the  lands.  These  names  I  love  to  recall,  as  being 
the  names  of  those  who  laid  the  foundation  of  our  present  greatness. 

FIEST  LAND  ENTRIES 

"The  first  entry  in  Urbana  was  made  by  Fielder,  as  before  stated, 
in  1828,  and  the  first  in  Somer  by  Sarah  Coe,  who,  in  1829  entered  the 
west  one-half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  27,  now  in  William 
Roberts'  farm.  During  the  three  years  following  entries  of  land,  now 
lying  in  both  townships,  were  made  by  Mijamin  Byers,  Isaac  Busey, 
John  Whitaker,  William  Tompkins,  Phillip  Stanford,  Charles  Busey, 
Martin  Rhinehardt,  Walter  Rhodes,  John  Light,  John  Brownfield, 
Robert  Trickle  and  others. 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY  123 

DISEASES  AND  PIONEER  PHYSICIANS 

"Like  all  new  countries  blessed  with  a  soil  holding  the  elements  of 
wealth,  this  country  when  first  settled,  and  until  by  cultivation  and 
artificial  drainage  facilities  were  afforded  for  the  surface  water  to  pass 
rapidly  away,  was  the  home  and  nursery  of  malarial  diseases.  They 
appeared  in  the  form  of  ague,  chills  and  fever,  flux  and  other  bowel 
complaints,  and  were  a  great  hindrance  to  the  rapid  settlement  of  the 
country.  These  diseases  were  universal  and  the  later  part  of  every 
summer  and  every  fall  people  looked  for  a  visitation  from  these  diseases 
as  much  as  they  looked  for  the  ripening  of  their  crops.  It  was  under- 
stood that  unless  the  work  of  the  season  was  completed  before  the 
sickly  season  came  on,  it  had  to  go  over,  for  during  that  period  all  would 
be  sick,  or  if  some  were  spared,  their  time  would  be  monopolized  in  the 
care  of  their  sick.  Many  times  there  were  not  well  persons  enough  in 
a  family  or  neighborhood  to  care  for  the  sick.  Physicians  were  few,  or 
entirely  wanting.  Dr.  Fithian,  the  veteran  physician  of  Danville,  was 
often  called  to  this  county,  while  Dr.  Stevens,  of  Homer,  and  Dr. 
Somers,  of  TJrbana,  who  were  early  on  the  ground,  had  a  wide  range  of 
practice  in  these  diseases.  The  effect  of  these  annual  recurrences  of 
miasmatic  diseases  upon  the  individual  was  to  weaken  and  sap  the 
constitution  of  the  strongest.  The  death  roll  of  the  first  thirty  years  of 
our  history,  if  it  could  be  called,  would  startle  us  even  at  this  distance 
of  time.  Strong  rnen  and  women  gradually  weakened  and  finally  fell 
before  the  unseen  foe,  while  little  children,  ague-ridden  from  their  birth, 
endured  a  dwarfish  growth  for  a  few  years  and  went  shaking  to  their 
graves.  While  this  is  true  of  many,  we  yet  have  monuments  of  the 
olden  time  in  many  whitened  heads  all  around  us,  which  have  reached 
or  long  since  passed  the  allotted  three  score  years  and  ten,  and  still 
linger  as  good  specimens  of  well  preserved  manhood  and  womanhood, 
equal  in  healthful  appearance  to  any  found  in  our  most  favored 
localities — men  and  women  who  have  spent  their  thirty,  forty,  fifty, 
or  even  near  sixty  years.  We  may  now  congratulate  ourselves  that, 
drainage  accomplished,  we  can  compare  favorably  with  any  country  for 
healthfulness. 

EARLY  DEATHS 

"So  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  the  first  death  among  the  white  inhab- 
itants of  the  county  was  Isham  Cook.  In  1830  he  entered  land  in 
Section  5,  north  of  Urbana.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  died  and  was 
buried  there.  The  farm  is  known  as  the  Dean  farm.  In  1831  a 


124  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

woman  named  Pugh,  a  member  of  a  family  traveling  through,  died  at 
Rhinehart's,  and  was  the  first  death  in  Somer  Township.  The  wife  of 
Isaac  Busey  died  in  1834,  and  was  the  first  to  be  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery  in  Urbana.  In  1833  several  members  of  the  Moss  family 
and  others  died  of  cholera,  north  of  the  grove.  The  deaths  were 
startling  and  spread  consternation  among  the  people.  I  mention  also 
others  who  died  within  a  few  years  after  coming  here,  as  follows : 
James  Brownfield,  brother  of  John  and  father  of  Robert;  Thomas 
Rolland,  father  of  Mrs.  William  I.  Moore,  of  Danville;  Isaiah  Corray, 
father  of  Elisha ;  John  Truman,  ancestor  of  those  remaining  of  that 
name;  William  Boyd,  the  grandfather  of  James  Boyd;  Isaac  Busey, 
his  son  John  and  his  grandson  Isaac :  David  Shepard,  father  of  Parris ; 
William  T.  Webber,  father  of  T.  R.  and  W.  H.  WTebber;  James  Brown- 
field,  grandfather  of  William  and  Thomas;  Jesse  Tompkins,  a  squatter 
on  the  government  lands;  Samuel  Brumley,  father  of  Mrs.  T.  L.  Tru- 
man ;  Jacob  Bradshaw,  Stephen  Gulick,  Charles  Busey — and  the  list 
might  be  extended,  but  space  forbids. 

DECEASED  REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIERS 

"Two  of  the  earlier  deaths  were  of  men  who  were  veterans  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  One  was  Robert  Brownfield,  above  noted,  who 
died  in  1841.  The  other  was  William  Hays,  who  died  afterward.  Both 
are  buried  in  Somer,  and  in  unmarked  graves.  It  would  redound  to 
the  credit  of  the  people  to  erect  lasting  monuments  to  mark  the  last 
resting  place  of  these  patriots,  and  to  keep  these  spots  in  remembrance 
upon  each  recurring  Decoration  Day. 

SCHOOLS 

"John  Light,  the  squatter,  probably  taught  the  first  school  within 
the  territory  of  these  townships  in  a  cabin  near  where  Frank  Apperson 
now  lives.  James  Boyd,  who  is  with  us  today,  was  a  pupil  of  Light's, 
and  believes  this  to  be  the  first.  It  was  taught  in  the  winter  of  1832-33. 
Charles  Fielder  and  John  B.  Thomas,  afterwards  a  lawyer  and  judge 
of  the  county  court,  also  taught  school  in  the  settlement  in  the  north 
"part  of  the  grove.  Asahel  Brauer,  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812,  who 
died  five  years  since,  also  taught  early  in  the  '30s,  in  the  grove. 

MILLS  OF  EARLY  DATE 

"The  first  mill  for  grinding  corn  was  brought  by  Robert  Trickle 
from  Butler's  Point  in  1826.  It  consisted  of  a  hollow  log  or  'gum,'  in 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


125 


which  were  inserted  the  upper  and  the  nether  mill  stones.  These  stones 
were  worked  out  from  rough  bowlders  and,  with  the  appliances  for 
making  the  upper  stone  revolve,  served  a  very  good  purpose.  Fielder 
in  1828  and  John  Brownfield  in  1836,  built  horse  mills,  which  were 
improvements  on  the  hand  mill.  Brownfield's  mill  was  quite  pre- 
tentious and  was  built  by  James  Holmes,  a  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  frame  of  the  building  used  still  stands.  The 
stones  were  subsequently  built  into  a  water  mill  in  the  creek  in  1842  by 
Mr.  Brownfield,  which  superseded  the  horse  mill.  The  stones  are  still 
preserved  by  Tom  Brownfield  as  mementoes  of  other  days.  John  Hap- 


OLD  TIMER  or  A  SAWMILL 

teustall  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  creek  below  the  town  about  1840,  and 
Jacob  Mootz  in  1842  built  another  on  a  site  here  in  the  park  of  Colonel 
Busey.  These  mills  were  not  attended  with  success  and  were  super- 
seded by  the  first  steam  saw  and  grist  mill  built  in  the  county,  erected 
in  Urbana  in  1850  by  William  Park. 

PIONEER  PHYSICIANS 


"The  first  physician  who  located  here  was  Dr.  Fulkerson,  who  came 
in  1830  and  boarded  with  Mrs.  Coe,  a  widow  who  had  improved  land  in 
Section  27,  Somer.  He  did  not  remain  long,  but  moved  on.  Dr.  Lyons 
stopped  at  John  Shepherd's  in  Urbana  Township  for  a  time,  before 
locating  permanently  at  Sidney.  He  subsequently  represented  the 


126  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

county  in  the  Legislature.  Dr.  John  Saddler  located  in  Urbana  in 
1839,  leaving  not  long  after,  and  was  followed  by  Drs.  Winston  and 
W.  D.  Somers  in  1840  and  1843.  The  former  honored  his  profession 
until  his  death  in  1871 ;  the  latter  soon  entered  the  law  practice  as  the 
first  lawyer  of  the  county. 

RELIGIOUS  PATHFINDERS 

"One  Mahurin,  a  Baptist,  was  the  first  minister  to  proclaim  the 
Gospel  here.  He  became  chaplain  of  a  regiment  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  and  never  returned.  Alexander  Holbrook,  who  lived  where 
Captain  Howell  now  resides,  was  a  Methodist  exhorter  and  often  made 
the  woods  ring  with  his  wild  eloquence.  William  Phillips,  known  to 
the  settlers  as  'Bub  Phillips,'  and-  Rev.  J.  Holmes,  who  was  a  transient 
millwright,  were  local  preachers  of  the  same  persuasion  and  materially 
aided  the  moral  work.  Father  John  G.  Robertson,  who  in  1830  entered 
land  in  Section  10,  Urbana,  and  who,  as  a  Baptist  layman,  was  ever 
a  zealous  Christian  worker,  is  said  to  have  held  the  first  religious  meet- 
ings in  the  then  village  of  Urbana.  He  died  at  Mahomet  a  few  years 
ago.  The  first  Methodist  class,  and  the  germ  of  the  present  society  in 
Urbana,  was  organized  in  1836  at  the  house  of  Walter  Rhodes,  the  first 
leader.  The  Baptist  Church  of  Urbana  was  organized  in  1841,  at  the 
Brumley  schoolhouse,  two  miles  east.  The  Roes,  Brumleys,  Trumans, 
Cooks,  Coxes  and  Nancy  Webber  were  among  the  constituent  members. 
The  officiating  clergyman  was  Rev.  Newell." 

MORE  ABOUT  THE  PREACHERS 

As  stated,  one  of  the  first  ministers  to  hold  religious  services  in  the 
county  was  Rev.  John  Dunham,  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  who, 
at  a  very  early  day,  came  among  the  scattered  settlements  of  Big  Grove 
and  Salt  Fork.  He  lived  in  McLean  County,  and  often,  as  late  as  1835, 
passed  through  the  settlements  on  his  ministerial  tours.  Alexander 
Holbrook,  the  Methodist  exhorter,  lived  on  Howell's  farm  and  often 
held  meetings  in  the  neighborhood,  sometimes  riding  a  steer  to  his 
appointments.  Rev.  William  Phillips,  who  settled  the  Meyers  farm, 
north  of  Champaign,  sometimes  preached  about  the  Grove.  Rev.  Mr. 
Holmes  organized  the  first  Methodist  class  in  the  county,  of  which 
Walter  Rhodes  was  made  leader.  Another  eccentric  pioneer  preacher 
was  Rev.  Samuel  Mapes.  He  rode  also  on  a  steer,  but  his  steer  was 
ornamented,  usually,  with  a  bell.  He  rode  barefoot  and  carried  a  gun. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  137 

Rev.  William  I.  Peters,  of  Salt  Fork,  used  to  preach  much  over  the 
country.  He  bought  whisky  by  the  barrel  on  the  Wabash  at  twenty 
cents  per  gallon,  and  retailed  so  as  to  clear  thirty  cents  a  gallon.  The 
people  not  only  regarded  his  practice  as  unobjectionable,  but  thought  it 
a  religious  duty  to  buy  their  whisky  of  "Uncle  Billy,"  as  he  was  called, 
thereby  assisting  to  spread  the  gospel  and  securing  a  good  article  of 
whisky  at  the  same  time. 

A  PROFESSIONAL  LAND-GRABBER 

David  Gabbert,  a  widely  known  county  pioneer,  was  honest  and  red- 
headed, unprepossessing  in  appearance  and  eccentric  in  manner.  He 
never  owned  any  land  himself,  but  was  often  employed  by  others  to 
enter  land  for  them  at  Palestine  or  Vandalia  and  secure  the  receiver's 
certificate  of  entry.  At  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night  he  would  set  out, 
usually  on  foot,  and  never  stop  until  his  errand  was  accomplished. 
Gabbert  lived  on  an  eighty-acre  farin  in  Section  15.  Matthew  Busey 
wanted  to  annex  it  to  his  farm;  so  one  afternoon  he  started  for 
Palestine,  with  the  specie,  to  enter  the  farm. 

It  chanced  that  Anderson  Rice,  also,  wanted  the  same  land;  so 
Gabbert  was  placed  upon  a -horse  after  dark  and  started  for  Palestine. 
"Uncle  Mat"  had  ridden  leisurely  forward  until  evening,  when  he 
stopped  for  the  night.  Gabbert,  however,  rode  all  night,  passed  Mr. 
Busey,  and  by  the  time  the  latter  reached  the  land  office,  Gabbert  had 
the  receiver's  certificate  in  his  pocket,  and  Anderson  was  owner  of  the 
land.  In  this  way  did  the  pioneer  settle  once  and  forever  many  land 
titles. 

WINTER  OF  THE  DEEP  SNOW 

In  the  winter  of  1830  and  '31  came  the  deep  snow.  The  weather 
during  the  fall  had  been  dry,  and  continued  mild  until  late  in  the 
winter.  The  snow  came  in  the  latter  part  of  December  and  a  great 
snow  it  was.  The  settlers  were  blockaded  in  their  cabins  and  could 
do  very  little  but  pound  their  corn,  cut  their  wood  and  keep  their  fires 
blazing.  A  great  deal  of  stock  was  frozen  to  death.  The  deer  and  wild 
turkeys,  which  had  been  very  numerous,  suffered  greatly  and  were  nearly 
exterminated.  The  wolves  became  very  bold  and  impudent.  The 
stories  of  this  deep  snow  would  fill  a  volume.  The  depth  of  the  snow 
was  certainly  over  three  feet,  and  many  estimates  place  it  at  four. 
Fences  were  hidden.  The  summer  following  was  celebrated  for  fever 
and  ague,  one  of  the  severest  scourges  that  afflicted  the  settlers.  It  was 


128  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

a  disease  that  induced  a  feeling  of  despondency  and  took  away  that 
strong  will  and  spirit  of  enterprise  which  enabled  the  settlers  to  endure 
the  hardships  of  their  lot. 

FIRST  MARRIAGE  AND  MARRYING  MINISTERS 

It  is  said  that  the  first  marriage  in  the  county  was  that  of  Melinda 
Busey,  daughter  of  Isaac  Busey,  to  John  Bryan,  a  young  man  lately 
from  Kentucky,  and  that  soon  after,  in  1834,  Miss  Nancy  Brasilia 
Busey,  daughter  of  Matthew  Busey,  wedded  Elias  Stamey,  a  settler  who 
had  entered  land  two  miles  north  of  IJrbana. 

The  first  ministers  of  the  Gospel  to  perform  marriage  ceremonies 
were  Cyrus  Strong,  an  elder  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  William  S. 
Crissey  and  James  Holmes,  Methodists,  the  latter  the  first  organizer 
of  Methodism  in  the  county. 

A  CIRCULAR  HUNT 

Every  new  western  county  has  had  its  famous  hunts,  by  which  its 
citizens  aimed  to  round  up  such  obnoxious  animals  as  wolves,  foxes  and 
skunks,  with  such  good  food  animals  thrown  in  as  wild  turkeys,  deer 
and  various  game  in  season.  Champaign  County  had  some  successes 
and  some  failures  in  that  line.  The  following  is  a  notice  to  the  hunters 
of  that  region,  published  in  the  Urbana  Union  of  January  11,  1855: 
"Those  who  love  the  sports  of  the  chase  will  have  an  opportunity  of 
enjoying  a  rare  hunt  on  Saturday  next.  By  a  well-matured  plan  the 
citizens  of  the  county  intend  to  have  a  Circular  Hunt.  The  perimeter 
of  the  circle  touches  at  Urbana,  Robert  Dean's,  the  old  Boyer  farm, 
Sadorus  Grove  and  Sidney.  The  center  is  about  nine  miles  south  of 
this  place." 

The  same  paper  of  a  week  later  has  this  pathetic  account  of  the 
results  of  the  Circular  Hunt,  so  well-matured:  "Instead  of  returning 
laden  with  the  trophies  of  the  chase,  and  for  weeks  fattening  on  good 
venison,  our  hunters  came  in  early  in  the  afternoon  with  jaded  horses, 
empty  stomachs  and  frozen  fingers;  in  short,  with  everything  but  plenty 
of  game.  It  appears  that  detachments  from  other  settlements  not  so 
venturous  as  our  hunters  did  not  venture  to  brave  the  cold  winds  of 
the  prairies  that  day,  and  the  circle  was  not  completed  until  they 
arrived  upon  the  ground  near  the  center;  therefore  the  game  was  com- 
paratively scarce.  A  few  deer  and  wolves  were  headed,  but  from  the 
few  hunters  on  the  ground,  all  escaped  but  one  wolf." 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  129 

LANCASTER  AND  BLOOMVILLE  STRICTLY  PAPER  TOWNS 

The  records  of  Vermilion  County  show  that  on  July  16,  1832,  Noah 
Baxter  filed  a  plat  of  the  town  of  Lancaster,  laid  out  on  what  is  now  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  6,  TJrbana  Township,  about  two  miles  north 
of  the  city  on  an  extension  of  Lincoln  Avenue.  It  was  near  Salt  Fork, 
adjoining  the  Big  Grove  and  in  the  vicinity  of  one  of  the  finest  springs 
in  the  county.  There  was  an  ample  public  square  in  the  center  of  the 
Lancaster  plat,  and  a  number  of  regular,  carefully  bisected  streets.  The 
tract  was  originally  in  possession  of  Sample  Cole.  Champaign  County 
was  organized  the  year  after  Lancaster  was  platted,  but  it  nowhere 
appears  as  a  competitor  for  the  county  seat — or,  in  fact,  anywhere  else 
but  in  the  Vermilion  County  records. 

The  records  of  the  county  show  that  J.  Q.  Thomas,  in  September, 
1855,  laid  out  the  town  of  Bloomville,  comprising  thirty-two  lots  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  8,  about  two 
miles  northwest  of  Mahomet.  The  filing  of  the  plat  seems  to  have  put 
a  period  to  the  enterprise. 

EARLY  KOADS 

\ 

Judge  Cunningham  in  1905 :  "The  roads  now,  and  for  many  years, 
running  from  Urbana  northeasterly,  known  as  the  Heater  Road  and  the 
Brownfield  Road,  were  not  in  use  after  the  location  of  the  county 
seat.  A  trail,  and  perhaps  wagon  road,  affording  communication  from 
the  settlements  north  of  the  Big  Grove  with  those  on  the  south,  led 
from  the  Clements  farm  south,  crossing  the  creek  at  what  was  known 
as  the  Clay  Bank  ford  running  to  the  neighborhood  of  Samuel  Brumley 
and  of  Matthew  Busey.  Now  a  county  road  and  upon  a  section  line, 
follows  nearly  the  same  route.  The  former  road  afforded  pupils  on  the 
north  side  of  the  grove  a  road  to  the  Brumley  schoolhouse  in  later  times. 

"Until  farms  were  occupied  and  enclosed,  and  travel  confined  to  the 
legal  roads,  little  work  was  done  upon  prairie  roads.  Here  and  there 
a  culvert  was  put  in  at  a  slough  crossing.  No  grades  were  thrown  up 
and  little  pains  were  taken  to  close  up  the  inevitable  ruts  made  by 
passing  vehicles.  When  a  rut  became  too  large  for  comfort,  all  the 
traveler  had  to  do  was  to  travel  elsewhere  in  parallel  lines,  where  mud 
had  not  been  made.  By  the  repetition  of  this  process  roads  often 
attained  great  width.  The  liberty  to  go  elsewhere  always  afforded  com- 
paratively good  roads,  at  least  in  ordinary  seasons,  and  it  need  hardly 
be  said  that  the  age  of  good  roads  in  Illinois,  for  a  time  at  least,  passed 
with  the  fencing  up  of  the  roads  so  as  to  confine  travel  to  one  line. 

1—9 


130  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

"It  was  a  common  practice  for  the  early  settlers,  for  the  purpose  of 
marking  the  best  line  of  travel  between  two  places  or  between 
two  timber  points,  to  mark  the  route  with  a  furrow,  to  be  fol- 
lowed until  the  track  became  plain.  It  was  in  this  manner  that 
the  road  from  Urbana  to  Middletown,  now  known  as  the  State 
road,  was  at  first  marked  and  traveled,  the  furrow,  in  this  case, 
being  made  by  Fielding  L.  Scott.  The  road,  as  thus  laid 
out  by  Mr.  Scott  as  early  as  1836  between  Urbana  and  Mahomet,  is 
still  in  use.  So  Henry  Sadorus  ran  a  furrow  from  his  cabin  to  the 
Ambraw,  for  his  own  use  and  that  of  the  traveling  public.  E.  E.  Busey 
tells  of  the  work  of  his  father  who,  in  like  manner,  ran  a  furrow  from 


AN  EARLY  STAGE  COACH 

his  house  to  Linn  Grove,  and  again  from  the  present  site  of  Sidney  to 
Sadorus  Grove.  These  lines  were,  of  course,  run  without  regard  to 
section  lines." 

WHITE  MAN  SHAMED  BY  BED  "SAVAGE" 

Peculiarly  painful  and  pathetic  circumstances  attended  the  death  of 
Mr.  Cook  (the  first  white  to  die  in  Champaign  County),  as  told  by 
Judge  Cunningham,  who  says :  "Isham  Cook  came  early  in  the  year 
1830,  and  having  bought  out  a  squatter  named  Bullard,  on  July  1st  of 
that  year,  entered  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  5 
and,  after  erecting  a  cabin  thereon,  returned  to  Kentucky  for  his 
family.  In  the  dead  of  winter,  the  family,  on  their  way  to  their  new 
home,  arrived  at  Linn  Grove,  where  Mr.  Cook  sickened  and  died.  The 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  131 

bereaved  family,  with  the  body  of  their  dead  uncoffined,  were  in  sore 
straits;  for  the  members  thereof  consisted  of  the  widow  and  four 
small  children.  One  of  the  daughters,  then  a  young  girl,  informed 
Judge  Cunningham,  in  after  years,  that  Joseph  Davis  took  the  remains 
of  Mr.  Cook  and,  with  the  grief -stricken  and  bewildered  family,  drove 
across  country  to  Big  Grove,  in  the  western  edge  of  which  the  dead 
father  had  partly  prepared  a  cabin  for  his  household  the  autumn  before. 
The  party  was  late  and  Davis  was  anxious  to  return  home  and,  without 
ceremony,  dumped  the  dead  body  of  Cook  upon  the  ground  near  the 
cabin,  and  set  out  on  his  journey  home.  This  heartless  proceeding, 
together  with  the  helpless  and  unprotected  condition  of  the  family, 
caused  the  mother  and  her  little  children  to  cry  aloud,  with,  as  they 
supposed,  no  one  near  enough  to  hear  them.  It  was  otherwise,  however, 
for  a  company  of  wild  Indians,  who  were  encamped  a  short  distance  east 
of  the  cabin  across  the  creek,  heard  the  cries  of  distress  and  at  once 
came  to  the  cabin.  They  were  able  to  speak  the  language  of  the  family 
and  were  informed  of  the  action  of  the  heartless  Davis.  Pagans  as 
they  were,  they  were  indignant,  and  offered  to  pursue  the  hard-hearted 
Davis  and  take  his  scalp;  but  Mrs.  Cook  persuaded  them  otherwise, 
when  they  set  about  making  the  family  comfortable  in  their  cheerless 
camp.  A  fire  was  made,  provisions  furnished  and  cooked,  and  all  cared 
for  as  best  might  be  done.  The  next  day  these  same  wild  men  returned 
and  again  ministered  to  the  needs  of  the  family.  The  remains  of  the 
dead  father,  coffined  in  a  roll  of  bark  found  near  by,  and  which  it  must 
be  supposed  he  himself  had  taken  from  some  tree  used  in  the  building 
or  roofing  of  his  cabin,  were  placed  in  a  grave  made  by  them,  and  every- 
thing that  the  knowledge  of  the  wild  men  could  suggest  was  done  to 
make  the  family  comfortable.  This  place  remained  the  home  of  the 
Cook  family  until  broken  up  by  the  death  of  the  mother  and  the 
marriage  of  the  daughters,  which  took  place  ten  years  or  more  after 
they  came  here. 

"James  Madison  Cook,  the  youngest  of  Isham  Cook's  family,  and 
the  only  son,  was  drowned  in  Spring  Creek,  Iroquois  County,  about 
1843,  when  on  his  way  by  wagon  to  Chicago. 

"The  land  entered  by  Cook  was  subsequently  owned  by  Samuel  G. 
Bickley  and  became  the  home  of  James  Dean,  about  1850,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death  in  1870.  Mr.  Dean  always  respected  the  burial 
place  of  the  Cooks,  and  though  the  graves  remained  unmarked,  the 
ground  was  never  broken  or  used  in  any  manner.  A  small  bunch  of 
young  timber  and  bushes  covered  the  site  for  many  years." 


132  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

TAX-PAYERS  AT  THE  CREATION  OF  THE  COUNTY 

At  the  time  the  county  was  created  there  were  111  tax-payers  in  the 
county.  They  were  mainly  grouped  in  three  settlements:  The  Salt 
Fork,  the  Big  Grove  and  the  Sangamon. 

In  the  first  was  George  Akers,  the  Baileys,  and  the  Bartleys;  Sarah 
and  William  Coe,  whose  descendants  are  yet  here;  William  Copeland, 
who  also  has  descendants.  There,  too,  also  lived  the  following,  who 
have  descendants  now  in  the  county :  John  Coddington  Larkin  and 
Thomas  Dier,  Jefferson  Huss,  James  Freeman,  John  W.  Leird,  William 
Nox,  ST.,  and  William  Nox,  Jr.,  William  I.  Peters,  Abraham  and 
William  Peters,  Hiram  Eankins,  David  and  John  Swearingen,  Cyrus 
Strong,  Adam  and  Joseph  Thomas,  and  Jacob  Thomas,  Sr.,  and  Jacob, 
Jr.,  Henry  and  Moses  Thomas;  Adam  Zeazel  and  John  Zormes.  There 
too  lived  others:  Moses  Argo,  Levi  Moore,  Robert  Prater,  Joseph  Stay- 
ton,  and  a  few  other  families. 

At  Big  Grove  were  the  Buseys,  Matthew  and  Isaac  and  Charles, 
Samuel  Beckley  and  William  Boyd,  Mijamin  Byers,  Samuel  Brom- 
ley, Asahel  Bruer,  yet  living  in  Urbana,  honored  and  revered  by  all, 
John  Brown,  Noah  Bixler,  the  Broomfields,  James,  John,  Jr.,  and 
Benjamin,  whose  numerous  descendants  are  citizens  of  this  county; 
Nancy  Cook,  William  Curry.  David  Gabbard,  the  pioneer,  Jacob  Heater, 
Alexander  Holebrooks  and  Lackland  Howard,  James  and  Amos  John- 
son, William,  Elijah  and  John  Jackson,  Elias  Kirby,  James  Mass, 
George  Powell,  Daniel  T.  Porter  and  Thomas  Eowland,  Gabriel  G.  Rice, 
James  T.  Roe,  John  G.  Robertson,  Matthias  Rhinehart,  Walter  Rhodes, 
John  Salisbury,  Philip  Stanford,  Andrew  Stevenson,  John  Truman, 
Joshua  Taylor,  Martin  Tompkins,  Joshua  and  Robert  Trickles,  the 
Webbers,  William  T.  and  Thompson  R.,  and  John  Whitaker. 

On  the  Sangamon  were  Ethan  Newcom  and  family,  the  Osborns, 
James,  Henry,  William  and  Jonathan  and  Henry  Hannahs.  Frederick 
Bouse  was  at  Linn  Grove,  and  Henry  Sadorus  was  on  his  farm  on  the 
banks  of  the  Okaw  or  Kaskaskia. 

AN  INSIDE  STOEY  RELATING  TO  THE  COUNTY  SEAT 

On  February  20,  1833,  John  Reynolds,  governor  of  Illinois,  signed 
the  act  of  the  Legislature  creating  the  county  of  Champaign  from  the 
lands  attached  to  Vermilion.  The  act  appointed  John  F.  Richardson, 
of  Clark  County,  James  P.  Jones,  of  Coles  County,  and  Stephen  B. 
Shelledy,  of  Edgar  County,  commissioners  to  locate  Urbana,  which  it 


HISTOKY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  133 

was  declared  should  be  the  county  seat.  These  men  met,  as  required  by 
law,  at  the  house  of  Phillip  M.  Stanford  and  found  various  points  con- 
testing for  the  honor  of  being  the  capital  of  the  new  county.  Stanford 
wanted  it  at  his  house  north  of  the  grove,  where  the  principal  part  of 
the  population  of  the  settlement  was  then  located;  in  which  his  neigh- 
bors all  joined  him.  At  that  time  the  only  postoffice  in  this  part  of 
the  county  was  known  as  Van  Buren  and  was  kept  on  the  adjoining 
farm  of  Matthias  Ehinehart.  Isaac  Busey  and  William  T.  Webber, 
owners  respectively  of  the  west  one  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  and 
the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  17,  in  Urbana,  and 
Colonel  M.  W.  Busey,  who  owned  contiguous  lands,  were  making  liberal 
offers  of  land  for  county  purposes.  The  Stanford  location  was  on  the 
Fort  Clark  road  and  was  surrounded  by  a  considerable  population,  while 
the  latter  site  was  covered  by  hazel  brush  and  decidedly  in  the  back- 
woods. It  was  thought  that  the  commissioners  had  decided  in  favor  of 
Stanford's,  when  Isaac  Busey  prevailed  upon  them  to  go  home  with  him 
to  stay  all  night  before  driving  the  stake  that  was  to  settle  the  con- 
troversy. They  went,  and  before  another  sun  arose,  tradition  informs 
us  that  the  stake  was  driven  in  a  patch  of  hazel  brush  where  the  court- 
house now  stands.  The  driving  of  that  stake,  although  an  unimportant 
circumstance  at  that  time,  has  proved  an  eventful  one  upon  many  things 
happening  since.  There  are  those  who  indulged  in  dark  hints  at  the 
time  of  undue  influences,  the  echo  of  which  may  be  yet  heard,  but  no 
doubt  the  commissioners  acted  from  honest  motives.  Had  Stanford's 
been  accepted,  Somer  would  have  been  the  site  of  the  county  seat, 
instead  of  Urbana.  The  circumstances  soon  began  to  work  necessary 
changes.  Population  began  to  gather  on  the  south  side  of  the  grove; 
stores,  limited,  however,  to  a  few  articles  only,  were  opened  in  Urbana. 
Courts  were  held  here,  and  roads  were  opened  leading  to  other  parts  of 
the  county.  The  postoffice  had  its  name  changed  from  Van  Buren  to 
Urbana,  and  T.  R.  Webber,  in  addition  to  the  office  of  clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  and  perhaps  other  offices,  became  postmaster. 

This  fixing  of  the  county  seat  at  Urbana,  which  also  marked  the 
birth  of  Champaign  County  as  a  civil  organization,  is  carried  over  into 
the  following  chapter  as  the  commencement  of  a  distinct  era  and  sub- 
ject. Although  some  of  the  sub-topics  of  the  preceding  pioneer  period 
have  overlapped  the  year  1833,  the  main  treatment  of  the  subject  has 
been  consistent. 


134  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

OLD  SETTLERS  SOCIETY 

A  number  of  old  settlers  of  Champaign  County  effected  an  organiza- 
tion at  the  courthouse  in  Urbana,  May  16,  1870,  with  Henry  Sadorus 
as  president.  The  members  comprised  those  who  were  twenty  years  of 
age  in  1840  and  resided  in  the  county  at  the  time,  and  included  the 
following:  Henry  Sadorus,  William  Sadorus,  J.  S.  Wright,  T.  E. 
Webber,  John  G.  Eobinson,  Fielding  Scott,  Stephen  Boyd,  John  Max- 
field,  Asahel  Bruer,  James  Clements,  Joseph  Maxwell,  Paris  Shepherd, 
William  Eock,  Eobert  Brownfield,  John  Corray,  James  Myers,  D.  0. 
Brumley,  T.  L.  Truman,  James  Kirby,  Abraham  Leazel,  H.  W.  Drul- 
linger,  James  Bartley,  B.  F.  Argo,  John  K.  Patterson,  Hiram  Eankin, 
David  Swearingen,  Samuel  Mapes,  Thomas  Eichards,  Michael  Fire- 
baugh,  J.  J.  Swearingen,  F.  J.  Busey,  Harrison  Heater,  John  E.  Brown- 
field,  Thomas  Swearingen,  William  Eomine,  David  Argo,  B.  F.  Harris, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Busey,  Mrs.  Stephen  Boyd,  Mrs.  Bryant,  Mrs.  William 
Harvey,  Mrs.  John  Maxwell,  Mrs.  Sarah  Eobertson,  Mrs.  Fielding  Scott 
and  Mrs.  William  Eock.  A  point  was  stretched,  however,  and  Archa 
Campbell,  C.  F.  Columbia  and  J.  T.  Everett  were  admitted  to  member- 
ship. T.  B.  Webber  was  chosen  first  secretary  and  treasurer.  There  is 
a  long  hiatus  in  the  records,  as  the  next  meeting  noted  was  held  in 
August,  1882.  A  new  constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted  and  J.  0. 
Cunningham  was  elected  president.  Irregular  meetings  have  been  held 
since,  but  have  become  less  and  less  frequent  with  the  falling  asleep  of 
the  old  settlers  until  a  regular  organization  has  virtually  been  non- 
existent for  a  number  of  years.  It  may  be  added,  as  a  fitting  con- 
clusion, that  L.  A.  McLean  was  long  its  secretary. 


CHAPTER  V 
COUNTY  MATTERS  AND  INSTITUTIONS 

UNDER  VERMILION  COUNTY — JOHN  W.  VANCE,  FATHER  OF  CHAM- 
PAIGN COUNTY — THE  CREATIVE  ACT — JUDGE  THOMAS  ISSUES  FIRST 
ELECTION  CERTIFICATES — THOMAS  R.  WEBBER — BALANCE  OF  FIRST 
COUNTY  OFFICERS — COUNTY  DIVIDED  INTO  ELECTION  DISTRICTS — 
CONTESTANTS  FOR  THE  COUNTY  SEAT — REPORT  OF  LOCATING  COM- 
MISSIONERS— SOURCES  OF  REVENUE  IN  1833 — OFFICIAL  HAPPENINGS 
OF  1834,  1835  AND  1836 — TEMPORARY  COURTHOUSE — FINANCES  IN 
1837 — MILL  SEATS  AND  BRIDGES — FIRST  COUNTY  JAIL — PIONEER 
CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOL — MATTERS  IN  1844  AND  1845 — COUNTY 
FUNDS  IN  1846 — NEW  COURTHOUSE  COMPLETED — PUBLIC  SQUARE 
FENCED — ONLY  WEBBER  AGAINST  INCORPORATION — FIRST  TERM 
OF  CIRCUIT  COURT  OPENED — THE 'COURTHOUSE  OF  1848 — SCENE  OF 
FAMOUS  SPEECHES  AND  MEETINGS — COURTHOUSE  Too  SMALL — 
TREASURED  WORDS  OF  LINCOLN — RESULT  OF  1856  AND  1860  CAM- 
PAIGNS— LINCOLN-DOUGLAS  SENATORIAL  CONTEST — MAIN  SPEECHES 
AT  THE  FAIR  GROUNDS — Two  POINTS  OF  VIEW — ONE  COURTHOUSE 
SOLD;  ANOTHER  BUILT — TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION  ADOPTED — 
OTHER  CHANGES  IN  OFFICERS — THE  COURTHOUSE  OF  1901 — MUR- 
DERER ESCAPES  FROM  OLD  COUNTY  JAIL — LINCOLN  CALLS  UPON  SON 
OF  FOSTER  BROTHER — THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  JAILS — THE  COUNTY 
POORFARM — ROSTER  OF  COUNTY  OFFICERS — STATISTICS — FIRST 
ASSESSMENT  IN  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  (1833) — INCREASE  OF  COUNTY 
REVENUES — PROPERTY  VALUATION  AND  TAXES  (1916) — POPULA- 
TION (1833-1917) — BY  TOWNSHIPS,  CITIES  AND  VILLAGES. 

If  a  Book  of  Chronicles  were  to  be  written  for  Champaign  County, 
its  introduction  would  be  something  in  this  order:  And  St.  Clair 
County  begat  Knox,  and  Knox  begat  Gallatin,  and  Gallatin  begat 
Edwards,  and  Edwards  begat  Crawford,  and  Crawford  begat  Clark, 
and  Clark  begat  Edgar,  and  Edgar  begat  Vermilion,  and  from  Vermilion 
was  born  the  special  land  of  which  this  book  is  a  record. 

135 


136  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

UNDER  VERMILION  COUNTY 

Vermilion  County,  as  created  in  1826,  embraced  much  of  the  state 
east  of  its  central  districts,  including  not  only  the  present  county  by 
that  name,  but  Iroquois,  Ford  and  Champaign.  At  that  time  the  few 
people  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  had  mostly  settled  at  Big 
Grove,  and  the  Vermilion  County  Commissioners  divided  it  into  two 
voting  precincts.  All  the  territory  north  of  a  line  running  through 
the  center  of  Town  18  was  named  as  the  Township  of  Eipley,  with  its 
voting  place  at  the  house  of  James  Butler,  at  Butler's  Point  (now  Catlin, 
Vermilion  County),  and  "accommodated"  the  Big  Grove  Colony;  south 
of  that  line  was  the  Township  of  Carroll,  and  Henry  Sadorus,  the  sole 
voter, in  the  precinct  within  the  bounds  of  what  is  now  Champaign 
County,  had  to  go  to  the  Little  Vermilion,  if  he  desired  to  exercise  his 
right  of  suffrage.  John  Light,  one  of  the  Big  Grove  squatters,  was 
appointed  constable  for  Eipley  Township,  and  was  the  first  settler  to  hold 
office  in  what  is  now  Champaign  County. 

While  still  a  portion  of  -Vermilion  County,  the  election  districts 
embracing  the  present  territory  of  Champaign  County  were  changed  in 
area,  and  various  voting  places  named,  more  convenient  of  access.  Such 
settlers  as  Eunnel  Fielder,  John  Powell,  James  Osborn,  John  Light 
and  Thomas  Eowland  were  named  as  judges  of  election.  In  1838  the 
so-called  Big  Grove  district  embraced  the  territory  west  of  the  line 
between  St.  Joseph  and  Sidney,  and  Urbana  and  Philo  extended  to  the 
northern  and  southern  boundaries  of  the  county.  The  records  also 
show  that  the  citizens  along  the  upper  Salt  Fork  and  Big  Grove  were 
called  to  serve  upon  various  juries  of  the  Circuit  Court  sitting  at 
Danville. 

In  1830-31  Mijamin  Byers,  living  on  Section  10,  Urbana,  and 
Moses  Thomas,  whose  home  was  on  Section  30,  a  few  miles  northwest  of 
the  present  village  of  Homer,  were  chosen  justices  of  the  peace. 

But  the  settlers  of  Big  Grove  were  impatient  to  get  the  civil  machin- 
ery in  motion,  and  could  not  wait  for  the  results  of  the  April  election, 
and  at  the  March  term  petitioned  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners 
of  Vermilion  to  appoint  John  Whitaker  and  Thomas  E.  Webber,  of 
their  number,  acting  constables.  In  the  case,  at  least,  of  Mr.  Webber 
this  was  done,  as  the  record  states  that  he  "at  once  entered  into  bond 
with  Philip  M.  Stanford  and  Moses  Thomas  as  his  sureties,  which  bond 
was  by  the  court  approved." 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  137 

JOHN  W.  VANCE,  FATHER  OF  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY 

In  the  meantime  John  W.  Vance,  who  resided  at  the  Salt  Works,  a 
few  miles  west  of  Danville,  the  county  seat  of  Vermilion  County,  had 
entered  land  in  the  Big  Grove  District  and  was  evidently  convinced  that 
the  section  was  destined  to  nourish.  He  had  been  sent  to  the  State 
Senate  several  terms  previous  to  his  election  to  that  body  in  August, 
1832,  and  he  is  said  to  have  fathered  and  perhaps  prepared  the  act 
approved  by  Governor  Reynolds,  February  20,  1833,  which  created  the 
county  of  Champaign  with  its  bounds  of  today.  Several  attempts  have 
been  made  to  dismember  it,  and,  although  the  acts  tending  thereto  passed 
the  Legislature,  they  were  finally  rejected  by  popular  vote. 

THE  CKEATIVE  ACT 

The  text  of  the  act  is  as  follows : 

"Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
represented  in  the  General  Assembly,  That  all  the  tract  of  country  west 
of  Vermilion  County  and  east  of  Macon  and  McLean  counties,  to-wit: 
beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  34,  on  the  line  dividing 
Townships  16  and  17  North,  in  Range  14  West  of  the  Second  Principal 
Meridian,  thence  west  on  said  line  to  the  east  line  of  Macon  County, 
thence  north  with  said  line  to  the  line  dividing  22  and  23,  thence  east 
with  said  line  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Section  3,  Township  22  North, 
in  Range  14  West,  thence  south  on  section  line  to  the  place  of  beginning, 
shall  form  a  new  county  to  be  called  Champaign. 

"Section  2.  For  the  purpose  of  fixing  the  seat  of  justice  of  said 
county,  .John  F.  Richardson,  of  Clark  County,  James  P.  Jones,  of  Coles 
County,  and  Stephen  B.  Shelledy,  of  Edgar  County,  are  hereby  appointed 
commissioners,  who,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  meet  at  the  house  of 
Philip  Stanford  in  said  county,  on  the  third  Monday  of  June  next,  or 
in  six  days  thereafter,  and,  being  duly  sworn  before  some  justice  of  the 
peace  of  the  state,  faithfully  and  impartially  to  take  into  view  the 
conveniences  of  the  people,  the  situation  of  the  present  settlements,  with 
a  strict  view  to  the  population  and  settlements  which  will  hereafter  be 
made,  and  the  eligibility  of  the  place,  shall  proceed  to  explore  and 
carefully  examine  the  country,  determine  on  and  designate  the  place  for 
the  permanent  seat  of  justice  of  the  same;  Provided,  the  proprietor,  or 
proprietors  of  the  land  shall  give  and  convey  by  deed  of  general  warranty 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  public  buildings,  a  quantity  of  land  in  a 


138  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

square  form,  or  not  more  than  twice  as  long  as  wide,  not  less  than 
twenty  acres;  but  should  the  proprietor  neglect  to  make  the  donation, 
then  and  in  that  case  said  commissioners  shall  fix  said  county  seat, 
having  in  view  the  interests  of  the  county,  upon  the  land  of  some  other 
person  who  will  make  the  donation  aforesaid.  If  the  commissioners 
shall  be  of  the  opinion  and  decide  that  the  proper  place  for  the  seat  of 
justice  is,  or  ought  to  be,  on  lands  belonging  to  the  Government,  they 
shall  so  report,  and  the  County  Commissioners  shall  purchase  one-half 
quarter  section  of  the  tract  set  forth  in  their  name,  for  the  use  of  the 
county.  The  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the  seat  of  justice  shall, 
as  soon  as  they  decide  on  the  place,  make  a  clear  report  to  the  Com- 
missioners' Court  of  the  county,  and  the  same  shall  be  recorded  at 
length  in  their  record  book.  The  land  donated  or  purchased  shall  be 
laid  out  into  lots  and  sold  by  the  commissioners  of  the  county  to  the 
best  advantage,  and  the  proceeds  applied  to  the  erection  of  public  build- 
ings, and  such  other  purposes  as  the  commissioners  shall  direct,  and 
good  and  sufficient  deeds  shall  be  made  for  lots  sold. 

"Section  3.  An  election  shall  be  held  at  the  place  of  holding  as 
now  laid  off  by  Vermilion  County  in  the  said  county  of  Champaign  on 
the  second  Monday  of  April  next,  for  one  sheriff,  one  coroner  and  three 
county  commissioners,  who  shall  hold  their  offices  until  the  next  general 
election  and  until  they  be  qualified;  and  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  and 
the  constables  who  are  now  in  office  and  residing  within  the  limits  of  the 
said  county  of  Champaign,  shall  continue  in  office  until  the  next 
quadrennial  election  for  Justices  of  the  Peace  and  constable,  and  until 
their  successors  be  qualified.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  said  county  to  give  public  notice,  at  least  ten  days 
previous  to  the  election  to  be  held  on  the  second  Monday  in  April  next, 
and  in  case  there  shall  be  no  clerk  in  said  county,  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  recorder,  or  judge  of  probate,  to  give  at  least  fifteen  days'  notice 
previous  to  said  election,  who  shall  be  legal  voters,  and  the  returns  of 
the  election  shall  be  made  to  the  Clerk,  Recorder  or  Judge  of  Probate, 
as  the  case  may  be,  who  gave  the  notice  aforesaid,  and  by  him,  in  the 
presence  of  one  or  more  Justices  of  the  Peace,  shall  be  opened  and 
examined,  and  they  jointly  shall  give  to  the  persons  elected  commis- 
sioners' certificates  of  their  election,  and  like  certificates  to  the  persons 
elected  sheriff  and  coroner,  to  forward  to  the  governor,  which  election 
shall  in  all  respects  be  conformable  to  law. 

"Section  4.  The  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the  county 
seat  shall  be  allowed  two  dollars  per  day  for  each  day  they  may  be 
necessarily  employed  in  making  said  location,  to  be  paid  by  said  county. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  139 

"Section  6.  The  seat  of  justice  of  said  county  shall  be  called  and 
known,  by  the  name  of  Urbana. 

"Approved  February  20,   1833,  by 

"John  Reynolds,  Governor." 

JUDGE  THOMAS  ISSUES  FIRST  ELECTION  CERTIFICATES 

Moses  Thomas,  mentioned  as  one  of  the  sureties  of  Mr.  Webber  on 
his  bond  as  constable,  was  a  friend  of  Senator  Vance,  author  of  the 
Champaign  County  Bill.  He  was  also  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace 
while  the  territory  was  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Vermilion  County 
and,  previous  to  the  April  election  of  1833,  ordered  in  the  creative  act, 
had  been  appointed  probate  judge  by  the  General  Assembly.  At  the 
election  on  the  second  Monday  in  April,  held  at  the  house  of  John 
Light,  Isaac  Busey,  Jacob  Bartley  and  George  Akers  were  chosen  com- 
missioners of  Champaign  County  and  John  Salisbury,  sheriff.  It  is 
probable  that  the  first  official  act  of  Probate  Judge  Thomas  was  to 
canvass  the  returns  of  the  election  and  issue  certificates  to  the  success- 
ful candidates.  Such  procedure  was  authorized  by  the  organic  act,  and 
the  record  shows  that  Judge  Thomas  issued  such  certificates  of  election. 

THOMAS  R.  WEBBER 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1833,  these  first  commissioners  of  Champaign 
County  met  at  the  cabin  of  Philip  Stanford,  on  Section  28,  Somer 
Township,  and  appointed  Thomas  R.  Webber  clerk  of  the  Board.  He 
held  that  position,  either  by  appointment  of  the  board  or  by  popular 
election,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  served  as  clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court  for  twenty-three  years,  from  1835  to  1857,  inclusive.  He  was 
also  the  first  postmaster  at  Urbana  and  in  the  county,  and  was, 
altogether,  of  such  unusual  capacity  that  his  subsequent  public  career 
is  here  noted.  He  was  a  Kentuckian  of  German  extraction  and  one  of 
the  pioneers  and  shining  lights  of  the  Big  Grove  contingent.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  long  service  as  county  and  circuit  clerks,  he  acted  as  master 
in  chancery  for  a  period  of  forty  years,  being  succeeded  by  M.  W. 
Mathews  in  1873.  In  1847  he  was  elected  to  represent  Vermilion, 
Champaign,  Piatt  and  Coles  counties  in  the  constitutional  convention 
of  that  year,  and  in  1862  he  represented  in  a  similar  convention,  the 
counties  of  Champaign,  Piatt,  DeWitt  and  Macon.  The  constitution 
prepared  by  the  latter  convention  was  rejected  by  the  people,  and  hence 
the  names  of  its  framers  were  not  so  impressed  upon  the  history  of  the 


140  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

state  as  if  it  had  been  incorporated  into  the  fundamental  laws.  Mr. 
Webber  was  a  man  of  high  personal  character,  as  well  as  ability,  and 
widely  beloved.  He  died  at  his  residence  south  of  Urbana  on  Decem- 
ber 14,  1881,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

BALANCE  OF  FIRST  COUNTY  OFFICERS 

After  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Webber  as  the  first  county  clerk,  the 
new  commissioners  chose  Garrett  Moore  as  constable  and  Moses  Thomas 
as  assessor  and  treasurer. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  Board,  or  Court  (as  it  was  originally 
called),  was  held  June  3,  1833,  when  Mr.  Webber  was  recommended  to 
the  governor  for  recorder.  The  appointment  promptly  followed,  his 
commission  dating  from  July  2.  At  the  same  meeting  Garrett  Moore 
the  constable,  was  appointed  surveyor,  and  Assessor  Thomas  reported 
the  revenue  of  the  county  to  be  $71.37. 

COUNTY  DIVIDED  INTO  ELECTION  DISTRICTS 

The  Court  also  divided  the  county  into  two  election  districts,  calling 
one  the  Salt  Fork  precinct  and  appointing  Moses  Thomas,  Robert 
Prather  and  Captain  William  Nox,  Jr.,  judges,  and  the  second,  the  Big 
Grove  precinct,  with  Matthew  Busey,  Joshua  Trickle  and  John  Whitaker 
as  judges.  The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  assemble  at  the  call  of  the 
clerk  at  such  time  as  the  commissioners  appointed  by  legislative  act  to 
locate  the  county  seat  should  be  ready  to  report. 

CONTESTANTS  FOR  THE  COUNTY  SEAT 

The  late  Judge  Cunningham  thus  sizes  up  the  situation  at  the  time 
the  locating  commissioners  were  endeavoring  to  decide  upon  the  site  of 
the  county  seat,  which  was  to  be  called  Urbana:  "It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  at  this  time  there  was  no  established  town  or  village  to  claim 
the  boon  of  the  seat  of  justice,  nor  was  there  any  densely  settled  district 
with  influence.  The  law  under  which  these  gentlemen  were  to  act  only 
required  them  to  'take  into  view  the  conveniences  of  the  people,  the 
situation  of  the  present  settlements,  with  a  strict  view  to  the  population 
and  settlements  which  shall  hereafter  be  made,  and  the  eligibility  of 
the  place.'  The  'settlements'  and  the  'people'  whose  conveniences  were 
to  be  consulted  as  then  located,  were  found  in  three  groups :  one  upon 
the  Salt  Fork,  another  at  the  Big  Grove  mostly  upon  the  Fort  Clark 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  141 

road  at  the  north  side,  and  the  third  upon  the  Sangamon — the  largest 
settlement  of  the  three  being  the  first,  and  the  smallest,  the  last  named. 

"The  positions  occupied  by  the  first  and  last  named  settlements,  and 
opposite  sides  of  the  county,  excluded  both  from  the  consideration  of 
the  commissioners,  leaving  the  Big  Grove  settlement  at  the  center  of 
the  county  alone  to  be  considered.  On  the  north  side  were  most  of  the 
inhabitants,  including  Stanford  (at  whose  house  the  Commission  was 
required  to  meet),  John  Whitaker,  the  Brownfields,  John  Light, 
Thomas  Eowland  (the  friend  of  Senator  Vance),  and  many  others  who 
had  influence.  On  the  south  side  were  Isaac  Busey,  then  the  largest 
land  owner  in  the  county;  Matthew  Busey,  his  brother,  and  Thomas  E. 
Webber,  all  on  the  ground  with  land  to  give,  besides  Colonel  Matthew 
W.  Busey,  then  a  resident  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  but  a  large  land 
owner,  who  was  then  on  the  ground  seeking,  with  others  with  like  inter- 
ests, the  location  of  the  new  county  seat.  So,  also,  William  T.  Webber, 
who  had  made  valuable  selections  of  lands  on  the  south  side,  then  a 
resident  of  Kentucky,  represented  by  his  son,  T.  E.  Webber,  threw  his 
influence  into  the  arena  of  contest.  Those  on  the  north  side  wished  the 
new  town  of  Urbana  to  be  located  there,  where  was  then  established 
Van  Buren  postoffice,  the  only  office  in  the  county. 

"The  commissioners  looked  at  the  location  about  two  miles  east  of 
Urbana  in  Section  15,  where  Matthew  Busey  then  lived  and,  admiring 
the  lay  of  the  land,  solicited  from  him  an  offer  of  land  for  public 
purposes.  The  suggestion  was  repelled  by  Mr.  Busey,  upon  whose 
vision  the  thought  of  profits  from  the  sale  of  corner  lots  and  town  sites, 
does  not  seem  to  have  made  any  impression.  He  declared  that  he  had 
purchased  this  land  for  a  farm  and  a  home,  and  was  determined  to  use 
it  as  such,  which  he  did  to  the  day  of  his  death,  thirty  years  afterwards. 
The  commissioners  also  looked  at  a  very  pretty  town-site  upon  the  land 
of  John  Brownfield  near  the  creek  in  the  Big  Grove,  believed  to  have 
been  the  geographical  center  of  the  county.  So,  also,  the  town  of  'Lan- 
caster,' laid  out  but  a  year  before,  was  a  candidate  for  the  favor,  and 
not  without  friends.  Noah  Bixler,  the  proprietor,  was  not  a  man  to 
remain  silent  when  such  an  opportunity  offered  to  aid  his  town.  It 
had  many  things  to  recommend  its  claims.  The  land  there  and  near  by 
was  entirely  suitable  for  a  town,  and  the  location  was  not  more  than 
two  miles  from  the  geographic  center  of  the  new  county.  Possibly  its 
name  was  against  it,  for  the  law  said  'the  seat  of  justice  of  said  county 
shall  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Urbana.' 

"The  controversy  narrowed  down  to  the  two  points — north  of  the 
grove  and  south  of  the  grove.  The  former  was  championed  by  Stan- 


142  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ford,  Heater,  Brownfield,  Rhinehart,  Light,  and  many  other  dwellers 
along  the  Fort  Clark  road,  who  could  claim  for  their  settlement  age, 
numbers,  the  postoffice,  and  the  only  public  road  through  the  county, 
and  as  being  at  the  front ;  while  the  south  side  was  without  any  of  these 
advantages,  and  was  an  out-of-the-way  place  with  no  advantages  what- 
ever. In  fact,  the  south  side  had  nothing  to  recommend  as  a  county 
seat.  It  had  no  roads,  but  bridle  paths  and  Indian  trails.  It  had  no 
population  except  the  families  of  Isaac  Busey,  Jacob  Smith,  and  the 
Webbers;  and  it  is  still  told  by  those  who  then  noted  the  controversy, 
that  it  had  no  vegetation  but  the  hazel  brush,  which  grew  in  great 
abundance  and  to  a  wondrous  height." 

The  secret  of  the  unexpected  decision  in  favor  of  the  "hazel  brush 
site"  on  the  south  side  of  the  Big  Grove  was  never  divulged;  only  the 
fact  that  Commissioners  Richardson  and  Shelledy  adjourned  from  Mr. 
Stanford's  house  on  June  20,  1833,  to  the  residence  of  Isaac  Busey, 
with  the  general  understanding  that  they  favored  the  "north-siders," 
and  that  on  the  following  day  they  reported  for  the  south  side  site. 

REPORT  OF  THE  LOCATING  COMMISSIONERS 

At  the  meeting  of  the  county  commissioners  on  the  21st,  Clerk  Web- 
ber made  this  record : 

"This  day  came  Stephen  B.  Shelledy  and  John  F.  Richardson,  a 
majority  of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the  permanent  seat 
of  justice  for  the  county  of  Champaign,  appeared  in  court  and  made 
the  following  report,  which  is  ordered  to  be  committed  to  record  and 
filed  in  the  Clerk's  office: 

"We,  the  undersigned  commissioners  appointed  to  locate  the  seat  in 
and  for  Champaign  County,  do  certify  that  agreeably  to  'An  act  creating 
Champaign  County,'  approved  January  20,  1833,  we  met  at  the  house 
of  Philip  Stanford  in  said  county,  and  after  being  duly  sworn,  faith- 
fully and  impartially  to  take  into  view  the  conveniences  of  the  people, 
the  situation  of  the  present  settlement,  with  a  strict  view  to  the  popu- 
lation and  settlement  which  will  hereafter  be  made,  and  eligibility  of 
the  place,  proceeded  to  explore  and  carefully  examine  the  country  and 
have  sele'cted  a  site  and  obtained  donation  of  forty-three  acres  of  land, 
titles  to  thirty  acres  of  which  we  have  procured  to  be  executed  to  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court  of  Champaign  County,  19  50-100  of  which 
lies  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  17,  Town  19  North,  Range  9 
East,  and  ten  and  a  half  acres  in  the  west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter 
of  Section  8,  Town  19  North,  Range  9  East;  the  metes  and  bounds  of 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  143 

which  are  particularly  described  in  the  deed  executed  by  Isaac  Busey  and 
wife ;  also  ten  acres  in  the  east  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  8 
and  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  17,  Town  19  North, 
Range  9  East;  the  metes  and  bounds  of  which  are  particularly  described 
in  a  bond  for  a  deed,  under  penalty  of  $10,000,  executed  by  T.  B.  Web- 
ber and  M.  W.  Busey;  also  three  acres  described  in  a  bond  for  a  deed 
executed  by  M.  W.  Busey  and  T.  E.  Webber. 

"Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Busey,  in 
said  county,  this  21st  day  of  June  A.  D.  1833. 

"John  F.  Eichardson,   (Seal) 
"S.  B.  Shelledy.          (Seal)." 

For  twenty  years  the  official  affairs  of  Champaign  County  were  made 
matters  of  detailed  record  by  T.  E.  Webber,  and  from  his  methodical 
and  neat  books  are  extracted  most  of  the  following  items  of  interest, 
which  illustrate  its  material  development  in  so  many  ways. 

SOUECES  OF  EEVENUE  IN  1833 

The  meetings  of  the  court  had  been  heretofore  held  at  the  house 
of  Philip  Stanford,  but  at  the  September  meeting  (1833)  it  was  ordered 
that  hereafter  they  be  held  at  the  house  of  Matthew  Busey.  John  Salis- 
bury was  appointed  sheriff  soon  after  the  organization,  and  September 
2,  1833,  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  and  collect  the  revenue,  amounting 
to  $71.37.  As  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  source  of  revenue,  on  Novem- 
ber 7,  1833,  a  license  was  granted  to  Isaac  H.  Alexander  to  retail  goods, 
wares  and  merchandise  until  the  end  of  the  next  term  of  court — the 
license  being  $5.  Afterwards,  the  time  was  extended  $3.00  worth.  Soon 
after  this  the  commissioners  fixed  the  following  rates  of  prices  to  be 
charged  the  public,  viz. :  For  keeping  a  man  and  horse  one  night,  in- 
cluding supper,  bed  and  horse  feed,  75  cents;  single  meal,  18%  cents; 
horse  feed,  121,4  cents;  one-half  pint  whisky,  6*4  cents;  one-half  pint 
French  brandy,  18%  cents;  one-half  pint  wine,  18%  cents;  one-half 
pint  gin,  12~y2  cents;  one-half  pint  rum,  18%  cents;  one-half  pint 
domestic  brandy,  18%  cents. 

The  first  fiscal  statement  was  made  by  T.  E.  Webber,  and  showed 
county  orders  unpaid,  $85.25 ;  fees  for  surveying  84  lots  in  the  town  of 
Urbana,  $21;  recording  plat,  $3.36;  fees  of  commissioners  and  for  sta- 
tionery, $17.55;  making  a  total  indebtedness  of  $127.36;  deducting  the 
revenue,  $71.37,  left  $55.99 ;  then  deducting  license  of  Alexander,  $5.00, 
left  the  indebtedness  of  the  county  December  2,  1833,  at  $50.99. 

March  3,  1834,  the  county  was  divided  into  road  districts  and  Wil- 


144  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

liam  Peters,  Daniel  T.  Porter,  John  G.  Eobertson,  Mijamin  Byers,  Philip 
M.  Stanford,  Wm.  Nox,  Jr.,  John  Whitaker,  were  appointed  road  super- 
visors. 

OFFICIAL  HAPPENINGS  OF  1834,  1835  AND  1836 

March  4,  1834,  the  first  grand  and  petit  juries  were  appointed,  as 
follows:  Grand  jury — Thomas  Deer,  Jefferson  Huss,  Wm.  Xox,  Sr., 
Joseph  Thomas,  Henry  Thomas,  Robert  Trickle,  James  Brownfield, 
Walter  Rhodes,  James  Johnson,  Samuel  G.  Beckley,  John  W.  Swear- 
ingen,  John  B.  Swearingen,  John  Zanes,  Robert  Prather,  Valentine 
Iliff,  Gabriel  G.  Rice,  Matthew  Busey,  John  Tineman,  Samuel  Brom- 
ley, Arthur  Beaird,  Harris  Wilson,  William  Corray  and  James  Osborne. 
Petit  jury — James  Moss,  Matthew  W.  Busey,  Elias  Stamey,  David  Gab- 
bert,  William  T.  Webber,  Augustine  M.  Webber,  Larkin  Deer,  Stephen 
Boyd,  Elijah  Jackson,  Andrew  Wilson,  Adam  Yeazle,  James  Freeman, 
Jacob  T.  Hobbs,  John  Coddington,  Jacob  Heater,  Moses  Kirby,  Elias 
Kirby,  John  Brownfield,  Sr.,  William  Coddington,  Elias  Thomas,  Moses 
Argo,  William  I.  Peters  and  Hiram  Rankin. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  county  commissioners,  held  December  1,  1834, 
it  was  ordered  that  hereafter  they  meet  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Busey. 
The  court  appointed  T.  R.  Webber  agent  in  July,  1835,  to  sell  the  lots 
in  Urbana  at  following  prices:  Corner  lots  on  Main  Street,  on  public 
square,  at  $30  each;  corner  lots  elsewhere,  $20;  back  lots,  $10. 

TEMPORARY  COURTHOUSE 

January,  1836,  a  temporary  court  house  was  ordered  to  be  built 
on  lot  25,  to  be  of  hewn  logs,  good  size.  The  building  was  to  be  24x20 
feet,  one  and  one-half  story,  shingle  roof,  hewn  joists  and  sleepers,  one 
door  and  two  windows  on  each  side.  The  contract  was  let  to  John 
Craig,  but  the  building  was  never  finished  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
commissioners  and  court  continued  to  be  held  in  private  houses  until 
1837,  when  a  frame  courthouse  22x30  feet,  with  two  rooms,  was  built 
by  Moses  and  William  Harvey.  This  building  was  replaced  in  1841 
by  a  brick  building  30x40  feet,  two  stories,  with  offices  below  and  court 
and  jury  above. 

The  revenue  increased  in  1836  to  $258.85.  On  December  3,  1836, 
Jonathan  Osborne  and  Isaac  Busey  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
locate  a  state  road  from  Urbana  to  Bloomington,  to  run  by  the  house 
of  John  Bryan.  Joseph  Stayton  and  Elias  Thomas,  on  same  date 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  145 

were  appointed  to  locate  a  road  from  Urbana  to  Paris.  At  the 
December  term,  1836,  a  license  was  granted  Wm.  Osborn  to  keep  a 
ferry  on  the  Sangamon  Eiver  at  a  point  where  the  state  road  crosses 
it,  leading  from  Moses  Thomas'  to  Bloomington — Osborn  to  pay  $2 
license.  The  following  ferry  rates  were  established  at  the  same  meet- 
ing, viz. :  Ferrying  one  man,  614  cents ;  one  horse,  6*4  cents ;  one-horse 
wagon,  25  cents;  two-horse  wagon,  371/2  cents;  cattle,  per  head,  614 
cents ;  sheep  and  hogs,  per  head,  3  cents. 

At  the  March  meeting,  1837,  it  was  ordered  that  the  office  of  asses- 
sor and  treasurer  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder;  and  Thomas  L.  Freeman 
having  bid  the  sum  of  $12.50,  was  appointed  to  that  office  and  qualified 
as  such. 

FINANCES  IN  1837 

In  1837,  the  liabilities  of  the  county  were  $216.34^;  and  the  reve- 
nue being  $258.85,  the  county  had  money  in  the  treasury  for  the  first 
time,  amounting  to  $32.561/2,  to  which  add  $431.50  in  notes  on  sale 
of  town  lots  in  Urbana,  and  cash  donations  unpaid  $45,  made  the  cash 
and  resources  of  the  county  $476.50. 

March,  1837,  it  was  ordered  that  the  following  property  be  taxed 
one-half  per  cent,  viz. :  Horses,  mares,  mules,  asses  and  neat  cattle  over 
the  age  of  three  years,  clocks  and  watches  with  their  appendages,  and 
pleasure  carriages. 

In  1837,  licenses  to  retail  goods  were  granted  and  license  charges 
as  follows:  A.  Bruer,  $5;  James  T.  Eoe,  $5;  T.  E.  Webber,  $15;  James 
H.  Lyons,  $25 ;  Daniel  T.  Porter,  $5 ;  Noah  Bixler,  $5. 

June,  1837,  ordered  that  Matthew  W.  Busey  have  a  writ  of  ad  quod 
damnum  for  condemning  a  mill  seat  on  north  end  of  Ei/2  SWi/4  Sec- 
tions 8,  10,  9.  The  same  year  Green  Atwood  was  allowed  a  license  to 
keep  a  tavern  at  Homer;  also  a  license  was  granted  to  Isaac  A.  Brown 
to  keep  a  tavern  at  Sidney,  each  to  pay  a  license  of  $4. 

MILL  SEATS  AND  BRIDGES 

% 

September,  1837,  a  writ  of  ad  quod  damnum  was  granted  to  Charles 
Haptonstall  to  build  a  mill.  A  like  writ  was  granted  at  same  meeting 
to  A.  H.  Jose  for  a  mill  seat  on  Sangamon  Eiver,  on  lot  15,  Sec.  16, 
T.  20,  E.  7.  At  same  meeting  it  was  ordered  that  a  bridge  be  con- 
structed over  the  Salt  Fork  at  Cyrus  Strong's  ferry,  and  that  Major 
Nox  attend  to  advertising  for  bids  and  to  insert  an  advertisement  in 
the  Danville  Enquirer.  The  building  of  this  bridge  was  let  in  October, 

i — 10 


146 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


1837,  to  Wm.  I.  Peters  for  the  sum  of  $426,  and  he  to  have  one  year 
to  build  it. 

FIRST  COUNTY  JAIL 

The  first  county  jail,  to  be  completed  by  March,  1839,  was  arranged 
for  January,  1838;  it  was  to  be  18  feet  square,  the  lower  story  to  have 
two  windows,  one  foot  square  each.  The  building  was  to  have  a  brick 
and  log  foundation  and  to  be  built  of  logs,  and  to  be  two  stories.  It 
was  struck  off  to  Col.  M.  W.  Busey  at  the  sum  of  $850. 


FIRST  COUNTY  JAIL  (1838-39) 

Judge  Cunningham  speaks  of  the  old  jail :  "This  building  was  stand- 
ing and  in  use  by  the  sheriff  for  the  detention  of  prisoners  in  1853, 
when  the  writer  came  to  the  county.  An  outside  stairway  afforded  the 
means  of  reaching  the  second  story  where,  by  the  only  door  of  the  build- 
ing, access  and  egress  were  had.  Through  it  prisoners  were  taken  for 
confinement,  and  from  the  second  story  a  trap  door  in  the  floor  gave 
access  to  the  lower  story,  where  the  worst  prisoners  were  placed.  The 
prisoner  was  sent  down  the  ladder  which,  being  removed,  he  was  con- 
sidered safe.  The  only  light  was  admitted  through  narrow  grated  win- 
dows in  the  lower  story.  Xo  means  of  heating  either  story  existed. 
The  writer,  when  acting  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  1855,  in  the  case 
of  a  person  charged  with  horse  stealing,  found  in  the  evidence  probable 


HISTOKY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  147 

guilt  and,  as  required  by  the  letter  of  the  law,  committed  the  unfor- 
tunate to  this  bastile  in  the  dead  of  winter,  with  no  means  furnished 
but  an  abundance  of  bed-clothing  to  keep  him  from  freezing.  The  law 
would  have  been  more  honored  in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance  in 
that  case.  The  prisoner  did  not  die  of  cold,  however,  but  met  his  fate 
in  another  manner." 

On  March  19,  1838,  it  was  ordered  that  an  election  precinct  be 
established  on  the  Middlefork  and  that  elections  be  held  at  the  house 
of  John  Manning,  near  the  town  of  Brotherton  in  said  precinct. 

In  June,  1838,  a  license  was  granted  Groenendyke  &  Coffeen  to 
retail  goods  at  Homer,  and  that  they  pay  for  same  $15.  At  the  same 
meeting  a  county  road  was  ordered  from  the  south  end  of  Market 
Street,  in  Urbana,  to  Sidney.  December,  1838,  A.  Bruer  was  granted 
a  license  to  keep  a  tavern  in  Urbana  and  that  he  pay  $2  for  the  same. 

PIONEER  CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOL 

At  the  December  term,  1839,  it  was  ordered  the  clerk  convey  to  the 
officers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  a  lot  to  be  selected  by  them 
if  they  shall  have  erected  a  house  of  worship  thereon  in  twelve  months. 
And  "we  also  make  to  the  Baptist  society  the  same  offer  in  all  respects." 
The  Methodist  people  raised  the  money  and  built  a  church,  which  was 
afterwards  known  as  Eenner's  livery  stable.  The  Baptist  people,  how- 
ever, did  not  comply  at  that  time. 

Col.  M.  W.  Busey  having  donated  a  three-acre  tract  to  the  county, 
permission  was  given  to  erect  a  schoolhouse  on  the  same.  December, 
1839,  Colonel  Busey,  Jacob  Bradshaw  and  Elias  Stamey  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  select  a  suitable  spot  for  said  house. 

June  term,  1840,  it  was  "ordered  that  we  sell  to  Eev.  A.  Bradshaw 
lot  51  (where  Hubbard's  hardware  store  now  stands)  for  the  sum  of 
$3,  the  same  to  be  deeded  to  the  Methodist  society,  which  has  a  legal  right 
to  receive  a  deed.  Also  that  we  sell  to  David  Cox,  for  Baptist  Church, 
with  same  restriction,  lot  76,  east  of  Kerr's  Tavern,  for  $2." 

The  salary  of  T.  E.  Webber  as  clerk  was  not  very  heavy;  he  was 
allowed  $77.98  in  full  for  his  services  as  clerk  for  year  ending  June  7, 
1841. 

At  the  June  term,  1842,  M.  D.  Coffeen  represented  that  it  was  too 
far  for  the  people  of  Homer  to  go  to  the  house  of  James  Copeland,  in 
"the  Salt  Fork  precinct,  to  vote.  He  therefore  presented  a  petition  that 
the  name  of  the  precinct  be  changed  to  Homer  precinct  and  the  voting 
be  done  at  the  schoolhouse  in  Homer,  which  was  ordered  done. 


148  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

October  2,  1843,  the  contract  for  building  a  bridge  across  the  San- 
gamon  at  Mahomet  was  awarded  William  Harvey  of  Urbana. 

MATTERS  IN  1844  AND  1845 

June,  1844,  on  petition  of  citizens,  an  election  precinct  known  as 
the  Middlefork  precinct,  was  ordered,  and  that  the  voting  place  be  at 
the  house  of  Samuel  Swinford,  and  Samuel  Swinford,  Samuel  Kerr 
and  James  Kellor  were  appointed  judges.  At  the  same  meeting,  James 
Orr,  Sr.,  Henry  Swearingen  and  Elias  Thomas  were  appointed  judges 
of  Homer,  Marshall  Cloyd,  John  Crabb  and  James  Myers,  of  Urbana, 
and  Jonathan  Maxwell,  Benjamin  F.  Harris  and  Joseph  T.  Everett  of 
Sangamon  precincts. 

The  tax  books  for  the  year,  1844  show  that  the  taxable  property  was 
increasing,  the  amount  returned  being  $334,373.  The  levy  was  as  fol- 
lows :  20  cents  on  the  $100  for  state  purposes,  making  $668.75 ;  20  cents 
for  county,  $668.75;  and  10  cents  for  road  making,  $334.37. 

William  D.  Somers  seems  to  have  been  the  county  physician  in 
1844.  At  the  December  meeting  of  the  County  Court  it  was  "ordered 
that  Dr.  William  D.  Somers  have  an  order  on  the  treasury  for  the  sum 
of  $2  in  full  for  medical  charge  for  attending  Robert  H.  Newlon." 

At  the  June  meeting,  1845,  William  D.  Somers  was  appointed  to 
take  the  census  of  the  county. 

COUNTY  FUNDS  IN  1846 

Col.  M.  W.  Busey,  county  treasurer,  made  his  report  July,  1846. 
He  reports  a  balance  on  hand  of  $561.37,  as  follows:  $332  in  paper 
money;  $155.52  in  gold,  and  $73.85  in  silver.  The  county  seems  to 
have  been  in  good  condition,  as  Colonel  Busey  was  ordered  to  loan  the 
county  funds  at  6  per  cent  interest,  reserving  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay 
outstanding  orders,  and  that  he  take  ample  security  in  all  cases,  and 
that  he  collect  the  interest  in  advance;  that  the  notes  be  so  drawn  that 
additional  security  may  be  required  if  it  is  deemed  necessary  by  the 
treasurer  or  commissioners. 

At  the  July  term,  1848,  Col.  M.  W.  Busey  was  appointed  a  mes- 
senger to  carry  the  vote  of  this  county  for  senator  to  Danville,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  canvassed,  and  William  Harvey  was  appointed  a  like 
messenger  to  Decatur,  to  carry  the  vote  for  representative. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  149 

NEW  COURTHOUSE  COMPLETED 

May  2,  1849,  the  new  courthouse  having  been  completed,  the  old 
one  was  sold  to  the  Urbana  school  district  for  $105  on  a  credit  of  twelve 
months.  At  the  June  meeting  a  bridge  was  ordered  to  be  constructed 
at  Homer,  provided  the  cost  did  not  exceed  $400.  June  20,  the  con- 
tract was  struck  off  to  M.  D.  Coffeen,  James  S.  Wright,  Harmon  Stev- 
ens, John  B.  Thomas,  Solomon  Dill,  Samuel  A.  Harvey  and  W.  S.  Coe 
for  $600,  $400  to  be  paid  by  the  county  and  the  balance  by  private 
donations — the  bridge  to  be  completed  by  the  following  December. 

October,  1849,  it  was  ordered  that  Clapp  &  Russell  have  leave  to 
renew  their  license  to  retail  goods  on  the  same  terms  as  before.  March 
term,  1850,  Henry  M.  Russell  having  bought  out  A.  0.  Clapp,  was 
granted  license  for  one  year  by  paying  $25. 

The  County  Court  cut  and  carved  the  bills,  in  the  olden  times,  very 
much  as  is  done  in  later  days.  March,  1850,  Benjamin  C.  Morris  pre- 
sented a  bill  of  $22.25  for  services,  board,  medical  attendance  and 
funeral  expenses  of  Daniel  Wheat,  a  poor  person.  The  court,  after  ex- 
amining into  the  matter,  decided  that  said  Morris  is  justly  entitled  to 
pay  for  the  coffin  and  shroud  and  therefore  allowed  him  $7.25  and 
rejected  the  rest  of  his  claim. 

PUBLIC  SQUARE  FENCED 

At  the  March  term,  1851,  it  was  decided  to  enclose  the  public  square 
with  a  fence,  which  contract  was  let  to  Wm.  Park  and  John  Cantner 
for  $80.  At  the  July  term,  1851,  on  petition  of  Samuel  Dean  and 
David  Cantner,  permission  was  granted  them  to  establish  a  ferry  on 
the  Sangamon  River  at  the  crossing  of  the  state  road  leading  from 
Urbana  to  Bloomington.  The  following  rates  were  fixed  as  ferry 
charges:  For  man  and  horse,  10  cents;  footman,  5  cents;  wagon  and 
one  horse,  15  cents;  wagon  and  two  horses  or  oxen,  20  cents;  each  addi- 
tional horse  or  ox,  5  cents;  each  head  of  cattle,  4  cents;  each  hog  or 
sheep,  2  cents. 

ONLY  WEBBER  AGAINST  INCORPORATION 

At  the  October  term,  1851,  J.  W.  Jaquith,  John  Gere,  Calvin  Hig- 
gins,  president  and  trustees  of  the  town  of  Urbana,  and  William  D. 
Somers,  clerk,  presented  to  the  court  a  poll  book  of  an  election,  whereby 
it  appears  that  at  an  election  held  in  the  town  of  Urbana,  September  8, 


150  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

1851,  for  the  purpose  of  voting  for  or  against  the  incorporation  of  said 
town  the  following  votes  were  cast  in  favor  of  same,  viz. :  W.  D.  Somers, 
Geo.  0.  Potter,  Wilson  Lewis,  W.  S.  Garman,  Joseph  M.  Harry,  Elisha 
Harkness,  Wm.  Park,  John  Cantner,  Calvin  C.  Higgins,  Wm.  Abel, 
Eobert  Logan,  Wm.  Waters,  Lewis  Higgins,  John  Black,  Edward  Ater, 
Asa  Gere,  Wm.  Gill,  Samuel  M.  Logan,  Thomas  J.  Newport,  Silas  Chad- 
wick,  John  C.  Hankins,  David  M.  Ireland,  J.  W.  Jaquith,  Samuel 
Waters,  George  W.  Toy;  total,  25.  Against:  Thomson  R.  Webber.  At 
the  election,  Joseph  M.  Harry  was  the  judge  and  John  Ireland  clerk. 

The  foregoing  is  a  synopsis  of  the  business  transacted  in  the  county 
from  1833  to  and  including  February  term,  1852.  While  some  of  the 
business  might  seem  insignificant,  yet  it  was  entered  of  record  by  the 
clerk,  T.  R.  Webber,  in  detail,  and  there  was  no  mistaking  the  meaning 
of  the  persons  doing  the  business  for  the  people. 

FIRST  TERM  OF  CIRCUIT  COUBT  OPENED 

On  March  2,  1833,  a  legislative  act  was  approved  by  the  governor 
providing  that  "when  the  counties  of  Iroquois  and  Champaign  shall 
be  organized  under  the  provisions  of  the  acts  of  this  Legislature,  then 
the  judge  of  the  Fourth  Judicial  Circuit  shall  have  power  to  change 
the  time  of  holding  courts  in  the  county  of  Coles  so  as  to  suit  the 
time  of  holding  courts  in  the  said  counties  of  Champaign  and  Iroquois." 
Until  1835,  however,  no  Circuit  Court  was  convened  in  Champaign 
County.  Legally,  there  was  no  circuit  judge  during  that  period,  al- 
though one  of  the  judges  of  the  State  Supreme  Court  was  authorized 
to  hold  court  therein.  But  a  more  specific  law  was  passed  in  1834,  and 
on  January  19,  1835,  under  its  provisions  Justin  Harlan  of  Clark 
County  was  commissioned  judge  of  the  Fourth  Circuit.  On  April  6 
of  that  year  he  opened  the  first  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Champaign 
County,  at  the  house  of  Isaac  H.  Alexander. 

With  Judge  Harlan  (uncle  of  the  late  United  States  Senator  James 
Harlan  of  Iowa)  appeared  Andrew  Stevenson,  sheriff,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded the  first  incumbent  of  that  office,  John  Salisbury.  The  court 
appointed  Thomas  R.  Webber  clerk;  by  like  appointment,  Mr.  Webber 
continued  as  clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  until  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution of  1848,  and  after  that,  by  popular  election  until  1857. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY       \          151 

THE  COURTHOUSE  OF  1848 

The  third  courthouse  for  the  accommodation  of  the  established  courts 
and  the  officials  of  Champaign  County  was  completed  during  the 
constitutional  year  of  1848  by  E.  0.  Smith  of  Decatur,  at  a  cost  of 
$2,744,  and  was  pronounced  a  "very  pretty  building  of  brick  and  wood, 
with  a  bell  tower  on  the  center  of  the  roof,  stone  floor,  window  sills 
and  caps." 

SCENE  OF  FAMOUS  SPEECHES  AND  MEETINGS 

In  that  building  were  delivered  several  of  Lincoln's  great  speeches, 
notably  his  third  speech  in  his  famous  debates  with  Douglas  on  the 
Nebraska  Bill.  An  eye-witness  of  that  historic  oration  of  October  24, 
1854,  who  had  just  called  on  Lincoln  and  Judge  Davis  at  the  old  Penn- 
sylvania House,  across  the  street,  says:  "After  some  further  conversa- 
tion and  a  few  preliminary  arrangements,  the  old  court  room  opposite 
shone  resplendent  in  the  coruscation  of  eleven  tallow  candles,  glued  on 
the  top  of  the  nether  sashes  of  the  windows,  to  which  place  we  adjourned 
and  w'here,  with  no  preliminaries  Mr.  Lincoln  delivered  to  a  full  house 
the  third  speech  on  the  mighty  issue  of  slavery  in  our  nation." 

Two  years  later  it  was  the  courthouse  which  was  the  center  of  the 
political  maelstrom  which  surged  through  Champaign  County  and  the 
country,  and  resulted  in  the  birth  of  the  Republican  party,  and  the 
election  of  Lincoln  four  years  later.  One  of  the  early  calls  for  a  meet- 
ing to  discuss  the  issues  of  that  day  appears  in  the  Urbana  Union  of 
May  8,  1856.  It  reads:  "The  citizens  of  Champaign  County,  without 
regard  to  past  political  differences  or  divisions,  who  are  opposed  to  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  to  the  policy  of  the  present  admin- 
istration, to  the  extension  of  slavery  over  territory  now  free,  in  favor 
of  the  admission  of  free  Kansas,  and  of  restoring  the  government  to 
the  principles  of  Washington  and  Jefferson,  are  requested  to  meet  in 
convention  at  the  court  house  in  Urbana  on  Thursday,  the  18th  day 
of  May,  to  deliberate  on  the  great  political  measures  that  now  agitate 
the  public  mind,  and  to  appoint  a  delegate  to  the  State  Anti-Nebraska 
Convention.  The  undersigned  would  join  in  the  call,  hoping  that  all 
who  can  will  be  present. 

"Signed:  A.  Campbell,  W.  W.  Beasley,  J.  W.  Sim,  James 
Dean,  Winston  Somers,  H.  M.  Russell,  S.  S. 
Cunningham,  David  0.  Quick,  James  Core, 
James  D.  Jaquith,  Chalmers  M.  Sherfy,  W.  C. 


152  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Cassell,  James  W.  Somers,  W.  H.  Talbutt,  Henry 
Robinson,  J.  0.  Cunningham,  John  M.  Dunlap, 
J.  Ingersol,  A.  M.  Ayers,  Sol.  Bernstein,  Henry 
Fitzgerald,  A.  0.  Howell,  E.  Harkness,  James 
Curtiss,  W.  C.  Beck,  J.  H.  Thomas,  William  H. 
Somers,  J.  C.  Sheldon,  Arthur  Bradshaw,  F.  B. 
Sale,  James  Yeazle,  William  Park  and  F.  II. 
Owens." 

Two  weeks  later  the  Union  reports  that  the  meeting  was  duly  held. 
It  was  called  to  order  by  J.  D.  Jaquith;  Rev.  Arthur  Bradshaw  was 
chosen  chairman  and  J.  0.  Cunningham  secretary.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  that  the  meeting  was  opposed  to  any  interference  with  slavery 
in  the  states  where  it  existed;  also  to  its  extension  to  free  territory; 
that  Congress  had  the  constitutional  power  to  thus  limit  its  operations ; 
that  Kansas  ought  to  be  admitted  as  a  free  state;  that  William  H.  Bis- 
sell  was  the  choice  of  the  meeting  for  governor  of  Illinois,  and  that, 
regardless  of  party,  all  should  co-operate  against  the  extension  of  slavery. 

COURTHOUSE  Too  SHALL 

In  the  fall  of  1856,  at  the  height  of  the  Fremont  campaign,  the 
crowds  which  gathered  at  the  county  seat  were  so  large  that  they  over- 
taxed the  little  brick  courthouse  and  had  to  be  held  in  the  open;  as 
witness  the  following  from  the  Urbana  Union  of  September  25 :  "Early 
in  the  morning  (of  the  18th)  the  people  from  every  direction  com- 
menced flowing  into  town  with  banners,  badges  and  mottoes,  and  the 
loudest  'shrieks  for  freedom.'  Some  came  with  processions,  with  dele- 
gations from  their  neighborhoods,  and  some  came  singly,  while  others 
came  in  wagons,  carriages,  on  horseback,  on  mules  and  on  foot — none 
forgetting  that  they  were  assembled  as  a  free  people  for  the  purpose 
of  'securing  the  blessings  of  liberty  to  themselves  and  to  their  pos- 
terity.' 

"After  raising  the  flag  of  our  Union  to  the  top  of  a  pole  150  feet 
high,  which  had  been  previously  raised,  and  giving  three  hearty  cheers 
for  Fremont,  the  throng  moved,  not  to  the  courthouse  (as  it  was 
claimed  was  done  by  the  other  party  a  few  days  before),  but  to  Web- 
ber's Grove.  The  procession  was  headed  by  the  Urbana  band  and  Rey- 
nold's band  of  Danville,  both  of  which,  during  the  day,  acquitted  them- 
selves with  credit  in  discoursing  music  for  the  occasion. 

"The  dinner,  although  consisting  of  large  quantities  of  provisions — 
over  two  whole  beeves,  several  muttons,  thirty  dozens  of  chickens,  tur- 
keys, pigs,  etc.,  with  huge  quantities  of  bread,  besides  piles  of  cakes 
and  pies  contributed  by  the  ladies  of  the  county — was  insufficient  to 
supply  the  wants  of  the  vast  throng." 


HOTEL  WHERE  LINCOLN  STOPPED  IN  UHBANA  (WINDOW 
OF  His  BOOM  IN  UPPER  LEFT  CORNER) 


UNDER  BIG  ELM  TREE  (EAST  OF  BIG  FOUR  SHOPS)  LINCOLN 
MADE  FAMOUS  SPEECH 


154  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

TREASURED  WORDS  OF  LINCOLN 

It  came  out  incidentally  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  one  of  the 
speakers  and  reviewed  the  procession.  One  of  the  attractions  of  the 
parade  was  a  "float"  loaded  with  pretty  girls  representing  the  states 
of  the  Union  which  then  existed.  In  passing  upon  that  feature  of  the 
procession,  Lincoln  remarked  that  it  reminded  him  of  "a  large  basket 
full  of  roses."  When  those  pretty  girls  became  the  grandmothers  of 
Champaign  County,  and  the  homely,  unassuming  Lincoln  of  1856  had 
gone  into  history  as  the  great  emancipator  and  martyred  President  of 
the  United  States,  that  remark  was  recalled  by  the  old  ladies  with 
unfeigned  pride  and  tenderness. 

RESULT  OF  1856  AND  1860  CAMPAIGNS 

The  result  of  the  1856  campaign,  which  centered  in  the  courthouse, 
was  to  give  Fremont  722  votes  in  the  county,  Buchanan  556,  and  Fill- 
more  236.  Four  years  later  Lincoln  received  1,720,  Douglas  1,251,  Bell 
99  and  Breckenridge  12. 

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS    SENATORIAL   CONTEST    (1858) 

In  the  fall  of  1858,  the  courthouse  was  also  the  scene  of  an  enthus- 
iastic meeting  during  the  Lincoln-Douglas  campaign  for  the  United 
States  Senate.  In  reply  to  a  speech  delivered  by  the  Little  Giant,  Lin- 
coln had  spoken  at  the  fair  grounds  in  Urbana — although  the  exhibition 
had  closed  the  day  before — notwithstanding  which,  he  had  met  with  a 
rousing  reception,  and  in  the  evening,  with  William  Bross,  editor  of 
the  Chicago  Tribune,  and  Judge  Terry  of  Danville,  spoke  at  the  court- 
house. Although  the  lank  son  of  Illinois  seems  to  have  carried  most 
of  the  meetings  with  him,  he  lost  the  senatorial  election,  but  progressed 
far  toward  the  presidency. 

MAIN  SPEECHES  AT  THE  FAIR  GROUNDS 

The  fair  grounds  at  Urbana  will  always  be  remembered  by  the  pio- 
neers of  the  county  as  the  scene  of  two  famous  speeches  delivered  by 
Lincoln  and  Douglas  in  their  historic  campaign  for  a  seat  in  the  United 
States  Senate.  But  the  Little  Giant  was  too  firmly  seated  to  be  dis- 
placed by  his  already  popular  but  then  less  prominent  opponent.  Doug- 
las spoke  on  the  closing  day  of  the  fair,  September  23,  1858,  and  Lin- 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  155 

coin  on  the  day  after,  when  "the  show  was  over  and  the  people  had  all 
gone  home."  But  to  the  surprise  of  all,  Lincoln  drew  nearly  as  large 
a  crowd  as  Douglas.  They  had  already  met  in  joint  debate  at  various 
Illinois  towns,  the  last  time  before  the  Urbana  appointment,  at  Charles- 
ton, on  the  18th.  Their  speeches  had  been  widely  and  earnestly  dis- 
cussed— there  were  no  neutrals  in  those  days — and  all  were  anxious  to 
weigh  the  arguments  as  they  came  from  the  lips  of  the  distinguished 
orators. 

At  the  time  of  the  Urbana  clash,  the  fair  grounds  of  the  Agricultural 
Association  lay  upon  both  sides  of  what  is  now  Lincoln  Avenue,  about 
a  mile  north  of  Springfield  Avenue  and  within  the  bounds  of  Crystal 
Lake  Park.  From  all  accounts,  Judge  Douglas  was  a  fine  "mixer"  and 
made  hosts  of  friends  by  appearing  at  the  grounds  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  day  before  his  speech.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  speaking  the  usual 
procession  formed,  near  the  head  of  which  was  a  wagon  bearing  a  plat- 
form of  hickory  poles  loaded  with  cheering  Democrats  (Hickory  Boys), 
among  whom  was  the  Senator  himself.  The  correspondent  of  the  Chi- 
cago Democrat,  who  heard  his  speech,  criticized  his  delivery  rather 
severely,  concluding:  "As  an  orator  he  is  no  more  to  be  compared  to 
Lovejoy,  Farnsworth,  Arnold,  Palmer  or  Herndon  than  the  merest  tyro 
at  debating.  I  venture  the  assertion  that  twenty  men  can  be  found  in 
every  county  in  Illinois  who,  before  an  impartial  audience,  would  receive 
the  palm  over  him  for  declamatory  skill." 

Two  POINTS  OF  VIEW 

The  Chicago  Democrat  was  one  of  Lincoln's  warm  supporters;  what 
we  would  call  Eepublican  newspapers,  in  some  cases,  retained  their 
old  political  designation. 

By  reading  the  following  it  is  evident  that  the  Urbana  Constitution, 
from  which  the  extract  is  taken,  was  a  Douglas  paper:  "The  announce- 
ment that  Senator  Douglas  would  speak  here  last  Thursday — the  closing 
day  of  the  county  fair — called  together  by  far  the  largest  crowd  ever 
assembled  in  the  county  of  Champaign.  A  delegation  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  on  horseback,  and  a  string  of  wheeled  vehicles  loaded  down 
with  citizens,  the  whole  delegation  being  near  a  mile  in  length,  escorted 
the  Senator  from  West  Urbana  to  the  fair  grounds,  arriving  there  at 
about  two  o'clock.  His  arrival  at  the  grounds  was  greeted  by  the  masses 
there  with  deafening  shouts  and  applause. 

"After  he  was  escorted  to  the  stand,  a  very  neat  and  appropriate 
reception  speech  was  delivered  by  A.  E.  Harmon,  Esq.,  of  West  Urbana, 
introducing  him  to  the  audience.  He  spoke  about  an  hour  and  a  half 


156  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

in  a  calm  and  dignified  review  of  the  great  issues  before  the  people, 
and  was  listened  to  with  the  profoundest  attention  by  the  thousands  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  positions  where  they  could  hear.  The 
extent  of  the  crowd  may  be  judged  by  the  fact  that  the  Senator's  voice, 
heavy  and  sonorous  as  it  was,  was  insufficient  to  reach  many  hundreds 
on  the  outer  edge  of  the  crowd.  The  demonstrations  of  applause  with 
which  he  was  greeted  by  the  old  line  Whigs  and  Americans,  as  well  as 
by  the  Democratic  masses  assembled  there,  show  that  his  speech  is  pro- 
ducing a  good  effect  in  favor  of  Democratic  principles.  The  Urbana 
Saxehorn  and  Military  Band  added  much  to  the  occasion  by  their  spir- 
ited music. 

"We  cannot  forbear  acknowledging  the  marked  courtesy  with  which 
the  Senator  and  his  friends  were  treated  by  the  Eepublicans  generally, 
and  especially  by  those  who  hold  influential  positions  in  the  Agricultural 
Association." 

But,  according  to  the  Constitution,  the  Lincoln  meetings  were  of 
quite  another  type.  "The  Eepublicans  had  a  fine  meeting  here  on 
Friday,"  it  remarks,  with  apparent  candor,  "and  were  addressed  by 
Mr.  Lincoln."  Then:  "Mr.  Lincoln's  speech  was  a  complete  backdown 
from  every  position  he  assumed  in  his  opening  speech  at  Springfield, 
except  in  one  respect — that  he  insisted  on  the  right  and  duty  of  Con- 
gress to  prohibit  slavery  in  the  territories.  This  dogma,  as  Lincoln 
well  knows,  however,  is  the  merest  humbug,  because  it  cannot  be  car- 
ried out  while  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  upon  that  subject 
remains. 

"Mr.  Lincoln  was  probably  not  very  well  satisfied  with  his  day's 
work,  as  in  the  evening  he  again  assembled  at  the  courthouse,  where 
he  delivered  a  discourse  on  that  passage  of  the  Scripture  which  declares 
that  'a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,'  and  the  necessity  of 
'the  perseverance  of  the  saints'  to  the  'ultimate  extinction  of  slavery  in 
all  the  states.'  Also,  he  gave  his  views  on  the  cranberry  and  hoop-pole 
laws  of  Indiana;  after  which,  Deacon  Bross  spoke.  The  deacon  made 
a  magnificent  speech.  He  referred  to  the  letter  Washington  had  writ- 
ten to  Henry  Clay  and  to  the  fact  that  Lafayette  was  one  of  the  fathers 
of  the  constitution.  He  said  that  the  Eepublican  party  held  that  the 
negroes  are  not  the  equals  of  the  whites  in  respect  to  social  and  political 
rights,  but  that  they  are  the  equals  of  the  whites  in  the  sense  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  which  declares  that  'all  men  are  created 
equal.'  This  distinction  was  so  clear  and  satisfactory  that  the  deacon 
was  vociferously  cheered.  The  deacon  also  made  several  beautiful  appeals 
to  heaven,  which  were  applauded  in  the  most  lively  manner." 


HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  157 

The  afore-mentioned  Chicago  Democrat  gives  its  version  of  the  chief 
Lincoln  meeting  at  the  fair  grounds:  "Lincoln  has  been  with  us,  and 
the  occasion  has  been  one  to  be  long  remembered  in  eastern  and  central 
Illinois.  It  is  no  new  thing  for  us  to  greet  the  honest  face  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln in  our  streets  that  it  should  stir  up  commotion,  for  half-yearly 
for  many  years  he  has  been  in  the  habit  of  spending  a  week  here  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  upon  the  most  familiar  and  easy  terms 
with  all;  so  that  a  desire  to  see  a  man  who  grapples  with  and  over- 
comes the  Little  Giant  could  not  have  induced  a  single  person  to  leave 
his  home  and  come  here  through  the  dust,  all  having  seen  him  fre- 
quently and  heard  him  speak,  and  very  many  being  intimately  acquainted 
with  him;  nothing  but  the  respect  and  love  for  the  cause  of  which  he 
is  the  exponent  in  Illinois,  could  have  brought  together  such  a  throng. 

"The  time  was  perhaps  the  most  unfavorable  one  in  all  the  year 
for  getting  together  a  crowd  coming,  as  it  did,  one  day  after  an  exciting 
county  fair  of  three  days,  in  an  unusually  sickly  season  when  there  is 
scarcely  a  family  in  the  county  more  than  able  to  take  care  of  its  own 
sick,  and  upon  a  day  when  the  least  stir  in  any  of  the  roads  was  suf- 
ficient to  raise  a  suffocating  cloud  of  dust;  yet  the  affair  has  been  a 
most  successful  one  in  every  way.  The  number  present  was  very  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  as  large  as  those  in  attendance  at  the  Douglas  demonstra- 
tion of  yesterday — the  enthusiasm  ten  times  as  great — and  the  effect 
never  exceeded  by  that  resulting  from  any  speech  ever  delivered  in  the 
county  before. 

"At  an  early  hour  the  people  began  to  flock  into  town,  and  by  the 
time  designated  for  forming  the  procession,  the  streets  were  so  blocked 
up  that  it  was  almost  impossible  for  a  vehicle  of  any  kind  to  pass.  At 
ten  o'clock  a  procession  led  by  the  Urbana  brass  band,  German  band, 
and  Danville  band,  and-  over  sixty  young  ladies  on  horseback  with  their 
attendants,  thirty-two  of  whom  represented  the  states  of  the  Union, 
marched  to  the  Doane  House  for  the  purpose  of  escorting  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  the  fair  grounds,  where  the  speaking  was  to  take  place.  When  return- 
ing, the  procession  was  augmented  by  a  large  delegation  from  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  county;  also  a  large  delegation  from  Piatt  County — 
so  that  the  entire  procession  reached  more  than  one  and  a  half  miles. 

"In  this  form  the  grounds  were  reached  when,  it  being  the  hour  of 
midday,  the  throng  marched  in  good  order  to  the  dinner  tables,  where 
the  ladies  of  the  two  Urbanas  had  spread  out  a  sumptuous  and  boun- 
tiful dinner.  All  had  enough  and  to  spare.  The  people  then  repaired 
to  the  stand  and,  after  being  seated,  listened  to  an  eloquent  reception 
speech  made  by  Hon.  M.  L.  Dunlap,  formerly  of  Cook  County,  who 


158  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

then  introduced  Mr.  Lincoln.  Cheer  after  cheer,  lustily  and  heartily 
given,  greeted  his  appearance.  His  speech  was  commenced  by  acknowl- 
edging his  gratitude  at  seeing  so  lively  an  interest  taken  in  the  great 
issue  of  the  day.  After  a  few  other  introductory  allusions,  he  took  up 
the  various  questions  at  issue  in  the  campaign,  meeting  and  refuting 
the  common  dogmas  of  Democracy,  and  probing  to  the  bottom  every 
subject  touched.  Throughout  his  remarks  were  terse,  eloquent  and 
witty,  frequently  eliciting  loud  demonstrations  of  merriment  and 
applause.  At  the  close  of  his  remarks,  loud  cheers  rang  through  the 
forest,  in  which  the  larger  part  of  the  audience  took  part. 

"One  thing  is  worthy  of  notice  in  contrast  with  yesterday's  proceed- 
ings. On  that  occasion  the  audience  sat  under  the  thunderings  of  the 
Little  Giant  as  still  as  if  attending  a  funeral  discourse,  while  this 
audience  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  was  most  enthusiastic  and  attentive,  continu- 
ing as  large  at  the  enunciation  of  the  last  word  as  at  the  beginning. 

"The  meeting  broke  up,  formed  in  procession,  and  escorted  Mr.  Lin- 
coln to  his  lodging,  at  the  residence  of  Mayor  Boyden,  where  his  lady 
attendants  and  all  parted  from  him  with  rapturous  cheers." 

In  all  of  these  rapturous  cheers  and  generally  hot  enthusiasm,  the 
Republican  Wide-Awakes  bore  the  same  prominent  part  taken  by  the 
Hickory  Boys  in  Democratic  demonstrations;  and  the  same  was  true 
throughout  the  country,  the  Republicans  and  Democrats  having  organ- 
ized their  big  boys  and  young  men  into  clubs  of  Wide-Awakes  and 
Hickory  Boys. 

ONE  COURTHOUSE  SOLD;  ANOTHER  BUILT 

In  1859,  the  year  before  the  election  of  Lincoln,  the  second  frame 
courthouse,  which  had  been  twice  moved  and  occupied  for  several  years 
as  a  schoolhouse,  was  sold  at  auction  and  torn  down.  It  then  stood  at 
the  corner  of  Elm  and  Vine. 

The  1848  courthouse  of  historic  fame  was  also  ordered  to  be  replaced 
in  1859  by  the  fourth  temple  of  justice  which  graced  the  square  at 
Urbana.  It  is  generally  called  the  third  permanent  courthouse.  It 
was  built  of  brick,  stone  and  iron  by  B.  V.  Enos,  an  Indianapolis  con- 
tractor, at  a  cost  of  $30,000,  and  was  not  ready  for  complete  occu- 
pancy, both  by  the  county  officers  and  the  Circuit  Court,  until  the 
autumn  of  1861.  During  a  period  of  forty  years  this  courthouse  well 
served  its  purposes. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  159 

TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION  ADOPTED 

The  fall  of  1859  was  the  commencement,  further,  of  a  new  epoch  in 
the  county  government.  From  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1833 
until  1849,  when  it  came  under  the  provisions  of  the  constitution  of 
1848,  its  governing  board  of  three  members  was  known  as  the  Court 
of  County  Commissioners.  Although  declared  to  be  "a  court  of  record," 
it  possessed  no  real  judicial  authority.  Under  the  constitution  of  1848 
that  body  was  superseded  by  the  County  Court,  comprising  the  county 
judge  and  his  two  associates — Edward  Ater,  of  Urbana,  and  John  P. 
Tenbrook,  of  Sadorus,  and  Lewis  Jones  of  Salt  Fork.  The  County 
Court  managed  the  affairs  of  the  county  until  the  November  election 
of  1859,  which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  the  system  of  township  organ- 
ization and  the  inauguration  of  a  Board  of  Supervisors. 

OTHER  CHANGES  IN  OFFICERS 

As  to  the  other  county  officers,  it  has  already  been  stated  that  under 
the  1818  constitution  the  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  appointed  his 
clerk,  and  by  the  early  statutes  the  clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners' 
Court  was  chosen  by  that  body.  The  county  treasurer  and  assessor  was 
also  appointed  by  the  Commissioners'  Court,  leaving  only  the  sheriff  and 
the  coroner  to  be  chosen  by  the  people.  The  constitution  of  1848  made 
these  offices  elective. 

The  foregoing  are  the  chief  changes  in  the  forms  of  the  county  gov- 
ernment and  its  officials,  which  have  not  been  noted  in  previous  pages. 

THE  COURTHOUSE  OF  1901 

The  courthouse  now  occupied,  which  is  modern  and  elegant  within 
and  attractive  without,  was  fully  completed  in  the  fall  of  1901,  the 
September  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  that  year  being  opened  in  the 
new  building  by  Judge  Francis  M.  Wright.  Forty  years  previously,  in 
the  preceding  month,  Hon.  Oliver  L.  Davis,  then  judge  of  the  Twenty- 
seventh  circuit,  opened  the  term  of  court  in  the  courthouse  of  1859-60, 

Answering  the  demands  for  more  space,  consequent  on  greatly 
increased  population  and  wealth,  the  building  which  had  done  service 
almost  half  a  century,  underwent  an  elaborate  process  of  remodeling 
and  enlargement  which  converted  it  into  an  imposing  public  edifice 
covering  an  area  of  108  by  116  feet  and  three  stories  in  height,  with 
ample  rooms  for  the  courts  and  all  the  county  offices.  It  is  in  the 


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HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


161 


UPON  THIS  SPOT 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

OHCCI.24,1854 

DELIVERED  HIS  THIRD 

SPEECH  m  OPPOSITION  TO 

SENATOR  DOUGLAS 

THE  NEBRASKA  BILL 

FACSIMILE  OF  COURTHOUSE  TABLET 

Romanesque  style  of  architecture,  and  its  exterior  is  done  in  red  sand- 
stone and  mottled  brick,  and  its  tower  stands  135  feet  high.  The 
building  thus  remodeled  and  enlarged  was  dedicated  August  22,  1901. 

The  courthouse  of  1901  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $150,000,  and 
no  feature  of  it  attracts  more  attention  than  a  large  marble  tablet  near 
the  entrance  to  the  county  clerk's  office,  on  the  second  story,  which  reads : 
"Upon  this  spot  Abraham  Lincoln,  on  October  24,  1854,  delivered  his 
third  speech  in  opposition  to  Senator  Douglas  and  the  Nebraska  bill." 

MURDERER  ESCAPES  FROM  OLD  COUNTY  JAIL 

The  building  of  the  first  county  jail  by  Colonel  M.  W.  Busey  in 
1840  has  been  briefly  told.  No  special  interest  seems  to  have  attached 
to  this  log  jail  eighteen  feet  square  except  that  in  1845  Bill  Weaver, 
the  convicted  murderer  of  David  Hiltibran,  escaped  from  it  with  the 
aid  of  an  auger  and  little  difficulty,  and  it  was  once  visited  by  Lincoln. 
Weaver  was  to  have  been  hanged  on  the  27th  of  June.  Years  after- 
ward tidings  of  him  were  received  from  Wisconsin,  but  the  murderer 
was  never  recovered. 

Other  escapes  from  the  jail  followed,  of  offenders  great  and  small, 
until  in  January,  1855,  after  a  specially  aggravating  break-away,  the 
Urbana  Union  bursts  forth  with  the  prevailing  public  sentiment,  thus: 
"It  (the  jail)  might  answer  for  the  imprisonment  of  infants,  or  of  men 
who  are  badly  crippled,  but  will  not  do  for  the  detention  of  rascals." 


1—11 


162  HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

LINCOLN  CALLS  UPON  SON  OF  FOSTER  BROTHER 

The  decrepit  old  jail  becomes  somewhat  famous  in  our  day  from  a 
bit  of  Lincolnia  attached  to  it  by  Major  Whitney  in  his  "Life  on  the 
Circuit  with  Lincoln."  The  story,  as  he  tells  it,  is  as  follows:  "In  the 
summer  of  1856,  when  he  was  one  of  the  electors-at-large  on  the  Fremont 
ticket,  a  crippled  boy  was  aiding  a  drover  to  drive  some  horses  to  the 
northern  part  of  the  state.  They  stopped  over  night  at  Champaign  and, 
while  there,  this  boy  went  to  a  small  watchmaker's  shop  kept  by  an  old 
decrepit  man  named  Green  upon  an  errand,  and  stole  a  watch.  The 
theft  was  discovered  in  time  to  "cause  the  boy's  arrest  at  the  noon 
stopping  place.  He  was  brought  before  my  father  as  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  The  case  being  made  out,  he  was  committed,  but  the  boy  had 
requested  that  the  case  be  left  open  until  he  could  send  for  his  uncle, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  to  defend  him.  That  being  denied  him,  he  wanted 
it  continued  until  I  should  return  home.  But  the  case  seeming  too 
clear  to  be  aided  by  lawyers,  my  father  committed  him  to  jail  to  await 
the  action  of  the  grand  jury.  Upon  my  return  home,  I  was  informed  of 
the  circumstances,  but  paid  no  attention  to  it  at  all,  and  forgot  all 
about  it  at  once. 

"Not  long  thereafter,  a  mass  meeting  was  held  at  Urbana,  our  county 
seat,  to  which  Mr.  Lincoln  came  as  one  of  the  speakers,  and  as  soon 
as  he  saw  me  he  said :  'I  want  to  see  you  all  to  yourself.'  When  we 
had  got  beyond  the  hearing  of  others  he  said:  'There  is  a  boy  in  your 
jail  I  want  to  see,  and  I  don't  want  anybody  to  know  it  except  us.  I 
wish  you  would  arrange  with  the  jailor  to  go  there,  on  the  sly,  after 
the  meeting,  and  let  us  in.'  I  then  recollected  this  crippled  boy,  and 
Lincoln  explained  to  me  that  when  his  father  married  his  second  wife 
she  had  a  boy  about  his  own  age  (John  D.  Johnston)  ;  that  they  were 
raised  together,  slept  together  and  loved  each  other  like  brothers.  This 
crippled  boy  was  a  son  of  that  foster  brother,  and  he  was  tending  to 
the  bad  rapidly.  'He  is  already  under  the  charge  of  stealing  a  gun  at 
Charleston,'  said  Lincoln  sadly.  'I  shall  do  for  him  what  I  can  in 
these  two  cases,  but  that's  the  last.  After  that,  if  he  wants  to  be  a  thief, 
I  sha'n't  help  him  any  more.' 

"The  jail  was  a  rude  log-cabin  structure,  in  which  prisoners  were 
put  through  a  trap  door  in  the  second  story,  there  being  no  other 
entrance.  So  Lincoln  and  I  were  secretly  admitted  into  the  small 
enclosure  surrounding  the  jail,  and  as  we  approached  the  one-foot 
square  hole  through  which  we  could  converse  with  the  prisoner,  he 
heard  us  and  set  up  a  hypocritical  wailing,  and  thrust  out  toward  us  a 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  163 

very  dirty  Bible,  which  Lincoln  took  and  turned  over  the  leaves  mechan- 
ically. He  then  said:  'Where  were  you  going,  Tom?'  The  boy 
attempted  to  reply,  but  his  wailing  made  his  answer  incoherent,  so 
Lincoln  cut  him  short  by  saying :  'Now,  you  do  just  what  they  tell  you — 
behave  yourself— don't  talk  to  anyone,  and  when  court  comes  I  will  be 
here  and  see  what  I  can  do.  Now  stop  crying  and  behave  yourself.' 
With  a  few  more  words  we  left,  Lincoln  being  very  sad;  in  fact,  I 
never  saw  him  more  so." 

THE  SECOND  AND  THIRD  JAILS 

About  a  year  after  this  incident  occurred,  the  county  built  a  jail 
of  brick  and  iron  in  the  public  square,  at  a  cost  of  $7,000.  Many 
additions  and  improvements  were  made,  both  to  the  jail  and  the  jailor's 
residence,  but  these  were  not  sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  a 
wealthy  and  advanced  county,  with  the  result  that  in  1906  the  massive, 
attractive  and  commodious  structure,  east  of  the  courthouse,  was  erected. 

One  execution  took  place  in  the  1857  jail— that  of  Eichard  Collier, 
convicted  of  the  murder  of  Charles  Freebriant,  which  took  place  Decem- 
ber 16,  1898. 

THE  COUNTY  POOR  FARM 

The  County  Poor  Farm,  with  suitable  buildings  for  the  care  of  the 
indigent  and  insane,  is  located  about  a  mile  east  of  the  courthouse.  The 
original  property  at  that  site  was  purchased  in  1865,  although  seven 
years  before  eighty  acres  for  the  purpose  had  been  bought  in  Section  7, 
St.  Joseph  Township.  The  latter  location,  however,  was  found  to  be 
too  far  from  the  county  seat,  as  well  as  from  the  center  of  population. 

ROSTER  OF  COUNTY  OFFICERS 

With  the  exception  of  the  judges  of  the  different  courts  who  have 
presided  in  Champaign  County,  and  the  prosecuting  attorneys  of  the 
circuit  and  county,  whose  records  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  the 
"Bench  and  Bar,"  the  county  officials  include  the  following : 

Court  of  County  Commissioners:  1833,  Isaac  Busey,  Jacob  Bartley 
and  George  Akers ;  1834,  John  Brownfield,  William  Nox  and  Daniel  T. 
Porter;  1836,  Cyrus  Strong,  Hiram  Johnson  and  William  Nox;  1838, 
under  a  change  in  the  law,  James  Clements  was  elected  for  one  year; 
Daniel  T.  Porter  for  two  years  and  Jefferson  Huss,  for  three  years. 
Afterwards  until  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1848,  the  fol- 
lowing were  elected  each  year:  James  Clements,  1839;  Daniel  T.  Porter, 
1840;  Jefferson  Huss,  1841;  James  Clements,  1842;  William  Taylor, 


164  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

1843;  John  W.  Swearingen,  1844;  Archa  Campbell,  1845;  B.  F.  Harris, 
1846;  William  Nox,  1847;  James  Clements,  1848. 

As  stated,  under  the  constitution  of  1848  the  county  was  placed 
under  the  government  of  the  county  judge  and  his  two  associates  (See 
Bench  and  Bar).  The  system  was  again  changed  in  1860,  when  the 
county  adopted  township  organization,  thereby  creating  the  cooperative 
Board  of  Supervisors. 

County  Treasurers:  Moses  Thomas,  1833;  Green  Atwood,  1837; 
Jacob  Bradshaw,  1839;  M.  W.  Busey,  1843;  Elisha  Harkness,  1851; 
William  H.  Pearce,  1853;  Chalmers  F.  Sherfy,  1855;  William  Munhall, 
1857;  Pleasant  M.  Parks,  1859;  Eobert  T.  Miller,  1861;  George  W. 
Kennard,  1865 ;  James  M.  Davies,  1869 ;  John  W.  Hill,  1871 ;  Thomas 
A.  Lewis,  1873;  James  W.  Davidson,  1886;  Paul  W.  Woody,  1890;  E. 
A.  Kratz,  1894;  Ellis  M.  Burr,  1898;  Daniel  P.  Mclntyre,  1902;  John 
A.  Scott,  1906;  Lou  N.  Bear,  1910;  Edward  Rogers,  1914— 

Sheriffs:  John  Salisbury,  1833;  A.  H.  Stevenson,  1834;  David 
Cox,  1838;  Wilson  Lewis,  1844;  Edward  Ater,  1850;  F.  M.  Owens, 
1854;  Penrose  Stidham,  1856;  N.  M.  Clark,  1858;  Eandolph  C.  Wright, 
1860;  Nathan  Towle,  1862;  John  D.  Johnson,  1864;  Thomas  J.  Scott, 
1866;  Peter  Myers,  1868;  Henry  C.  Core,  1870;  John  D.  Johnson, 
1874;  James  E.  Oldham,  1878;  James  C.  Ware,  1882;  P.  B.  Burke, 
1886;  Samuel  C.  Fox,  1890;  Daniel  D.  Cannon,  1894;  Ernest  Lorenz, 
1898;  Cyrus  S.  Clark,  1902;  Jonathan  M.  Peters,  1906;  George  W. 
Davis,  1910;  Augustus  M.  Evans,  1914 — 

Clerks  of  the  County  Commissioners  and  County  Courts :  Thomas 
R.  Webber,  clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners'  Court,  1833  to  1849, 
when  he  was  elected  county  clerk ;  Thomas  A.  McLaurie,  1853 ;  Solomon 
J.  Toy,  1857;  Nathan  M.  Clark,  1865;  John  W.  Shuck,  1869;  James 
S.  McCullough,  1873;  Thomas  A.  Burt,  1896;  Charles  W.  Webber, 
1906;  Fred  Hess,  1910— 

Prosecuting  Attorneys:  Under  the  first  state  constitution  the 
attorney  general  was  also  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  circuit.  After  the 
adoption  of  the  1848  constitution,  until  1856,  T.  H.  Campbell,  of  Spring- 
field, and  Amzi  McWilliams,  of  Bloomingon,  served  in  that  capacity. 
In  the.  year  named,  Ward  H.  Lamon  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  the  Eighth  circuit,  holding  office  until  1861.  After  the  creation  of 
the  twenty-seventh  circuit  in  1861,  Joseph  G.  Cannon  was  elected  for 
two  terms:  Martin  B.  Thompson  then  served  from  1868  to  1876,  and, 
under  the  new  law  providing  for  the  election  of  a  prosecuting  attorney 
for  each  county,  Milton  W.  Mathews  held  the  office  from  1876  to  1884; 
Lewis  A.  Smyres  commenced  his  service  in  1884;  Randolph  C.  Wright, 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  165 

1892;  Andrew  J.  Miller,  1896;  Fielding  A.  Coggeshall,  1904;  Louis  A. 
Busch,  1912— 

County  Surveyors:  Garrett  Moore,  1833;  James  S.  Wright,  1838; 
John  L.  Somers,  1850;  John  Thrasher,  1857;  R.  C.  Wright,  1859;  L.  T. 
Eads,  1861;  John  Thrasher,  1865;  T.  B.  Kyle,  1869;  F.  M.  Price,  1875; 
T.  B.  Kyle,  1879;  Joseph  O'Brien,  1900;  E.  V.  Burton,  1912;  R.  T. 
Fisher,  1916— 

County  Coroners — James  Myers,  1847;  A.  M.  Kerr,  1854;  B. 
Thrasher,  1858 ;  W.  S.  Garman,  1860 ;  A.  M.  Kerr,  1862 ;  W.  J.  Foote, 
1864;  H.  Miner,  1866;  W.  J.  Foote,  1868;  J.  M.  Tracy,  1870;  S.  K. 
Reed,  1872;  George  W.  Burr,  1876;  Jacob  Buch,  1880;  W.  B.  Sims, 
1892;  Henry  S.  Penny,  1896;  John  V.  Swearingen,  1908;  J.  J.  Han- 
more,  1912;  John  V.  Swearingen,  1916 — 

STATISTICS 

In  the  matter  of  statistics,  as  of  all  else,  the  '30s  in  the  history  of 
Champaign  County  constituted  the  days  of  small  things;  therefore,  of 
special  interest — easy  to  grasp  and  analyze  in  all  their  details. 

It  has  been  seen  how  in  June,  1833,  Moses  Thomas,  the  assessor, 
reported  the  total  revenue  of  the  county  to  be  $71.37.  Of  that  amount, 
$61.61  was  assessed  on  the  personal  property  of  the  111  tax  payers; 
upon  their  horses  and  cattle,  clocks  and  watches  and  pleasure  carriages. 
The  item  last  named  yielded  but  62i/^  cents,  as  only  three  citizens 
allowed  that  they  possessed  such  luxuries  as  "pleasure  carriages." 
Asahel  Bruer  reported  one  carriage  valued  at  forty  dollars,  for  which 
he  was  taxed  twenty  cents ;  Mason  S.  Martin,  another  which  he  returned 
as  a  fifty-dollar  luxury  and  for  which  he  was  assessed  twenty-five  cents, 
and  James  T.  Roe,  the  third  pleasure  carriage,  valued  at  thirty-five 
dollars,  and  yielding  the  county  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  in  revenue. 
But  while  the  Buseys,  the  Boyds,  the  Byers,  the  Rhineharts,  the  Trickles 
and  others  had  a  number  of  horses,  they  appear  to  have  been  shy  on 
pleasure  vehicles. 

FIRST  ASSESSMENT  IN  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  (1833) 

The  details  presented  by  Assessor  Thomas  in  1833  were  as  follows: 

Clocks  and 

Horses.             Cattle.         Watches.     Value  of  Taxes 

Owners'  Names.           No.     Value.     No.    Value.  No.  Value.  Property.  Assessed. 

\Vestley  Arrasmith 1          $10         2          $20     $30  $0.15 

Moses  'Argo   1            40         1              8       1         $6              54  .27 


166 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


Owners'  Names 
George  Akers   

Horses. 
No.     Value. 

Clocks  and 
Cattle.         Watches.     Value  of     Taxes 
No.    Value.  No.  Value.  Property.  Assessed. 

2          $20     $20       $0.10 

Isaac  Burris  

3 

40 

40 

.20 

Arthur  Baird   

2 

$80 

1 

10 

90 

.45 

John  Bailey,  Sr  

2 

100 

9 

114 

1 

$30 

244 

1.22 

John  Bailey,  Jr  

2 

80 

2 

20 

100 

.50 

Jacob  Bartley    

1 

50 

4 

32 

82 

.41 

George  Bartlev   

3 

120 

2 

16 

2 

13 

149 

.47% 

Matthew  Busey  

8 

150 

15 

181 

1 

17 

348 

1.74 

William  Bovd    

4 

160 

2 

18 

1 

20 

198 

.99 

Mijamin   Byers    

5 

200 

14 

190 

1 

20 

410 

2.05 

Samuel  Bromley   

8 

120 

3 

30 

1 

20 

170 

.85 

Asahel  Bruer  

2 

70 

5 

40 

1 

10 

160 

.80 

Isaac  Busev  

4 

300 

9 

100 

1 

60 

460 

2.30 

Samuel  Beckley    

2 

100 

7 

76 

176 

.88 

John  Brown   

2 

20 

20 

.10 

Noah  Bixler     

1 

10 

10 

.05 

Charles  Busev   

3 

90 

11 

124 

1 

20 

234 

1.17 

James  Brownfield   

5 

250 

2 

20 

1 

20 

290 

1.45 

John  Brownfield,  Jr  

2 

50 

1 

10 

60 

.30 

John  Brownfield,  Sr  

C 

300 

3 

50 

1 

16 

366 

1.83 

Benjamin  Brownfield   .  .  . 

1 

30 

1 

6 

36 

.18 

Frederick   Bouse  

.     2 

80 

11 

124 

1 

20 

224 

1.12 

Reuben  S.  Bullard  

2 

130 

1 

10 

140 

.70 

Joshua  Chapman    

3 

130 

2 

20 

.... 

150 

.75 

Nancy  Cook  

1 

30 

1 

10 

40 

.20 

Sarah  Coe     

.      1 

20 

2 

16 

1 

20 

56 

.28 

William  Curry    

2 

60 

6 

60 

1 

20 

140 

.70 

William   Coe    

1 

40 

1 

8 

48 

.24 

James  Copeland    

1 

40 

4 

46 

1 

18 

104 

.52 

Curtis  Carmean    

1 

50 

1 

10 

1 

9 

69 

.34% 

John  Coddington    

2 

100 

7 

84 

1 

16 

200 

1.00 

Larken  Dier   

.      1 

50 

1 

8 

58 

.29 

Thomas  Dier    

2 

100 

1 

8 

1 

10 

118 

.59 

Benjamin  Delaney    .... 

.      1 

50 

3 

24 

74 

.37 

James  Freeman  ....... 

.     2 

80 

1 

10 

90 

.45 

Robert  French  

.      1 

50 

50 

.25 

Abner  Fuller   

3 

27 

27 

.13% 

David  Gabbard   

.     3 

60 

3 

24 

.   . 

84 

.42 

Jacob  Heator  

1 

8 

1 

16 

24 

.12 

Alexander  Holebrooks   . 

.      1 

50 

5 

70 

120 

.60 

Lackland  Howard  

.      1 

30 

2 

16 

1 

20 

66 

.33 

Jefferson  Huss    

.     2 

60 

3 

24 

84 

.42 

Enoch  Humphries   

,      1 

75 

75 

.37% 

Thomas  Hobbs    

3 

38 

.... 

38 

.19 

William  Harris  

.      1 

10 

10 

.05 

Henry  Hannahs  

.      1 

50 

1 

10 

60 

.30 

Valentine  Iliff   

.      1 

30 

3 

40 

1 

6 

76 

.38 

John  Jayne    

.      1 

10 

2 

16 

26 

.13 

James  Johnson   

1 

10 

1 

5 

15 

.07% 

Amos  Johnson  

.      1 

40 

40 

.20 

William  Jackson     

.      2 

70 

2 

16 

86 

.43 

Elijah   Jackson    

.      1 

30 

1 

8 

38 

.19 

John  Jackson  

6 

75 

75 

.37% 

Elias  Kirby   

.     2 

70 

1 

10 

80 

.40 

John  W.  Leird  

1 

8 

8 

.04 

3 

38 

Mason  S.  Martin  

.      1 

50 

2 

16 

116 

.58 

Levi   Moore     

.      3 

100 

2 

16 

1 

20 

136 

.68 

James  Moss   

.     3 

90 

5 

40 

130 

.65 

H1STOBY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


167 


Horses. 

Clocks  and 
Cattle.         Watches.     Value  of 

Taxes 

Owners'  Names 

No. 

Value. 

No.    Value.    No.  Value.  Property.  Assessed. 

William  Nox,  Sr  

.      2 

$75 

10 

$122 

$197 

$0.98  y2 

Ethan  Newcomb   

.      1 

50 

6 

75 

125 

.62% 

William  Nox,  Jr  

.      1 

50 

1 

8 

58 

.29 

James   Osborn    

.      1 

40 

10 

116 

1       $20 

176 

.88 

Henry  Osborn    

5 

64 

64 

.32 

William    Osborn  

.      1 

50 

2 

18 



68 

.34 

Jonathan   Osborn    

.      1 

30 

5 

50 

80 

.40 

George  Powell   

.      1 

50 

2 

40 



90 

.45 

William  I.  Peters  

.     2 

70 

2 

16 

86 

.43 

Abraham  Peters   

1 

8 

8 

.04 

William  Peters   

.      2 

80 

3 

24 

104 

.52 

Robert  Prather   

.      2 

40 

5 

60 

100 

.50 

Daniel  T.  Porter  

1 

10 

1          15 

25 

-12% 

Thomas   Rowland    

.      2 

60 

5 

65 

1         16 

141 

.70% 

Gabriel  G.  Rice  

.      1 

40 

2 

20 

60 

.30 

James  T.  Roe  

.     2 

100 

1 

8 

143 

.71% 

John  G.  Robertson  

.      2 

50 

3 

30 

80 

.40 

Mathias    Rhinehart    .  .  . 

.     4 

200 

8 

94 

1         25 

319 

1.59% 

Hiram  Ranking    

.      2 

80 

7 

100 

180 

.90 

Walter  Rhodes    

.      1 

100 

2 

16 

1         25 

141 

.70% 

Robert  Russel    

.      1 

20 

20 

.10 

John    Salisbury     

.      1 

40 

3 

100 

140 

.70 

John  W.  Swearingen  .  .  . 

.      2 

75 

5 

58 

133 

.66% 

Joseph    Stayton    

.      3 

120 

3 

30 

150 

.75 

•David  Swearingen  

.      1 

25 

1 

8 

33 

.16% 

John   Swearingen    

1 

10 

10 

.05 

Cvrus  Strong  

.      2 

100 

6 

57 

1         16 

173 

.86% 

Andrew   Stevenson    .... 

.      1 

70 

70 

.35 

Philip  Stanford  

2 

100 

5 

40 

1         20 

160 

.80 

Henry   Sadorus    

.     2 

80 

13 

160 

1         20 

260 

1.30 

John  Trueman  

.      2 

40 

1 

10 

50 

.25 

Joshua  Tavlor   

.      1 

50 

1 

10 

60 

.30 

Martin  Tompkins   

4 

50 

50 

.25 

Joshua   Trickle    

.     3 

120 

4 

32 

1         20 

172 

.86 

Robert  Trickle  

.      2 

100 

3 

21 

1         28 

149 

-74% 

Jacob  Thotnas,   Sr  

.      2 

100 

4 

36 

1         20 

156 

.78 

Henry  Thomas  

.      1 

35 

5 

62 

1         20 

117 

.58% 

Adam  Thomas   

35 

.17% 

Joseph  Thomas   

8 

87 

87 

.43% 

Jacob  Thomas,  Jr  

.      1 

30 

1 

10 

40 

.20 

Moses  Thomas  

.      4 

150 

14 

182 

1         16 

348 

1.74 

William  T.  Webber  

.      1 

65 

2 

30 

95 

.47% 

T.   R.   Webber  

.      1 

60 

3 

40 

1           5 

105 

.52% 

John  Whiteaker    

.     3 

125 

14 

188 

1         20 

333 

1.66% 

Andrew  Wilson   

.      1 

40 

1 

8 

48 

.24 

Harris  Wilson   

.     2 

80 

:      2 

18 

1         20 

118 

.59 

Henry  Wilson    

2 

30 

30 

.15 

Samuel  Wilson   

.      1 

45 

2 

16 

61 

.30% 

Adam  Yeazel   

.      2 

80 

1 

8 

1         16 

104 

.52 

John  Zornes  

1 

10 

10 

.05 

Total    171  $87,085     387     $4,336     45     $776     $12,322     $61.61 

INCREASE  OF  COUNTY  EEVENUES 

By  1836  the  revenue  of  the  county  had  increased  to  $258.85,  and  by 
18-1-1  to  $1,672.87.     This   represented  taxable  property  valued  at  over 


168  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

$334,373,  as  compared  with  $12,322  in  1833 — quite  an  increase  in  a 
decade.  After  that  the  figures  increased  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  it  will 
serve  no  useful  purpose  to  present  them ;  those  who  are  interested  in  such 
comparative  details,  year  by  year  and  decade  by  decade,  have  free  access 
to  the  assessors'  books  at  the  county  seat.  A  very  striking  and  interest- 
ing comparison,  however,  is  that  between  the  first  assessor's  report  of 
1833  and  the  last,  of  1916;  the  first  showing  property  valued  at  $12,322 
and  assessed  as  $61.61  and  the  last,  a  valuation  of  $33,82-1,061  and  an 
assessment  of  $1,275,276.12. 

PROPERTY  VALUATION  AND  TAXES 

The  material  stability  of  Champaign  County  is  well  illustrated  by 
the  returns  of  the  assessors  in  1916,  which,  as  stated,  indicate  that  the 
real  estate,  comprising  both  country  lands  and  village  and  city  lots, 
and  the  personal  and  corporation  property,  are  valued  for  purposes  of 
taxation  at  $33,824,061,  and  that  the  taxes  levied  for  all  purposes 
amounted  to  $1,275,276.12.  The  assessed  value  of  railroad  property 
within  the  county  was  $1,926,251,  and  of  telegraph  and  telephone 
companies/$82,800.  The  largest  items  among  the  tax  levies  were :  For 
roads  and  bridges,  $187,919 ;  school,  $473,455 ;  state,  $270,592 ;  county, 
$148,963,  and  cities  and  villages,  $149,796. 

The  showing  by  townships  is  as  follows : 

Townships.  Value  of  Property.  Taxes  Levied. 

Ayers    $    662,746  $  19,586.57 

Brown 1,100,360  35,857.42 

Champaign 5,273,764  309,567.42 

Colfax 809,295  21,498.71 

Compromise 1,333,984  37,757.79 

Condit 851,185  23,752.78 

Crittenden    832,301  28,271.84 

East  Bend   881,156  24,013.30 

Harwood    876,583  21,706.09 

Hensley  825,372  19,811.97 

Kerr   397,840  13,282.52 

Ludlow    954.496  27,800.99 

Mahomet 779,371  27,289.55 

Newcomb   753,555  24,100.68 

Ogden    1,202,782  33,309.63 

Pesotum    879,580  29,396.78 

Philo    1,098,216  28,554.65 

Rantoul    1,556,917  48,020.1] 

Raymond    1,005,611  33,327.99 


HISTOBY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  169 

Township  Value  of  Property  Taxes  Levied 

Sadorus    $1,110,050  $34,410.27 

Scott    991,354  27,401.48 

Sidney    1,146,985  32,111.85 

Somer    831,708  22,050.85 

South  Homer    945,271  34,916.94 

Stanton    811,705  21,406.94 

St.  Joseph  1,118,509  36,047.04 

Tolono    1,058,336  34,772.31 

Urbana    3,735,039  225,251.94 


Total    $33,824,061      $1,275,276.12 

POPULATION  (1833-1917) 

The  statistics  of  population  relating  to  Champaign  County,  accord- 
ing to  the  returns  of  the  state  and  federal  census  takers,  are  as  follows, 
the  deduction  heing  that  when  the  county  was  organized  in  1833  it 
contained  about  eight  hundred  people:  1835,  1,038;  1840,  1,475;  1845, 
2,041;  1850,  2,649;  1855,  6,565;  1860,  14,629;  1865,  21,124;  1870, 
32,737;  1880,  40,863;  1890,  42,159;  1900,  47,622;  1910,  51,829;  1917 
(estimated),  60,000. 

• 

BY  TOWNSHIPS,  CITIES  AND  VILLAGES 

According  to  the  Federal  census  returns  for  the  last  three  decadal 
years  the  population  of  the  townships,  cities  and  villages  of  Cham- 
paign County  was  as  follows : 

1910.  1900.           1890. 

CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY   51,829  47,622        42,159 

Ayers   Township,   including   Broadlands   Village   and 

part  of  Allerton  Village 929  865              719 

Allerton  Village   (part  of) 15  ....             .... 

Total  for  Allerton  Village  in  Ayers  Township, 
Champaign  County,  and  Sidell  Township,  Ver- 
milion County 379  .... 

Broadlands  Village    480  .... 

Brown  Township,  including  Fisher  Village 1,396  1,544           1  312 

Fisher  Village 850  614 

Champaign  Township,  including  Champaign  City 13,353  9,966           6619 

Champaign  City 12,421  9,098           5  839 

Ward    1 1,805             

Ward   2 1,964            

Ward    3 1,990 

Ward    4 1,524             

Ward    5 1,423             

Ward    6 1.997             

Ward    7 1,718            

Colfax  Township   800  901              914 


170 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY   

Compromise  Township    

Condit  Township 

Crittenden  Township  

East  Bend  Township 

Hardwood  Township  

Hensley  Township 

Kerr  Township  

Ludlow  Township,  including  Ludlow  Village  and  part 
of    Eantoul    Village     

Ludlow  Village    

Rantoul  Village   (part  of) 

Total  for  Rantoul  Village  in  Ludlow  and  Rantoul 

townships     

Mahomet  Township,  including  Mahomet  Village 

Mahomet  Village   

Newcomb  Township  

Ogden  Township,  including  Ogden  Village 

Ogden  Village  

Pesotum  Township,  including  Pesotum  Village 

Pesotum  Village 

Philo  Township,  including  Philo  Village 

Philo  Village    

Rantoul  Township,  including  Thomasboro  Village  and 
part  of  Rantoul  Village 

Thomasboro  Village    

Rantoul  Village   (part  of) 

Raymond  Township,  including  Longview  Village 

Longview  Village   

Sadorus  Township,   including  parts  of  Ivesdale   and 
Sadorus  villages 

Ivesdale  Village    (part  of) 

Total  for  Ivesdale  Village  .in  Sadorus  Township, 
Champaign  County,  and  Bennent  Township, 
Piatt  County 

Sadorus  Village    (part  of) 

Total  for  Sadorus  Village  in  Sadorus  and  Tolono 

townships     

St.  Joseph  Township,  including  St.  Joseph  Village .  .  . 

St.  Joseph  Village  

Scott  Township    

Sidney  Township,  including  Sidney  Village 

Sidney  Village    

Somer  Township     

South  Homer  Township,  including  Homer  Village. . . . 

Homer  Village   

Stanton  Township   

Tolono  Township,  including  Tolono  Village  and  part 
of  Sadorus  Village 

Sadorus  Village    (part  of) 

Tolono  Village    

Urbana  Township,  including  Urbana  City 

Urbana  City   . .  .  -. 


1910. 

1900. 

51,829 

47,622 

1,557 

1,576 

689 

777 

683 

820 

879 

1,113 

737 

750 

596 

610 

418 

427 

1,530 

1,060 

305 

306 

523 



1,384 

1,207 

1,329 

1,277 

565 

515 

744 

854 

1,389 

1,392 

428 

419 

1,096 

1,094 

376 

1.239 

i.iis 

562 

502 

1,995 

2,365 

321 

861 

1,207 

1,052 

1,093 

257 

1,688 

1,757 

429 

476 

Ward 
Ward 
Ward 
Ward 
Ward 


436 
299 

336 

1.406 
681 
984 

1,303 
481 
866 

1,655 

1,086 
759 

1,379 
37 
760 
9.378 
8,245 
1.800 
1,962 
1.066 
1,815 
1,602 


476 

284 

340 
1,491 

637 
1,026 
1,452 

564 

940 
1,821 
1,080 

865 

1,663 

56 

845 

6,948 

5,728 


1890. 
42,159 

1,650 
750 
932 

1,122 
761 
642 
366 

1,152 
298 


1,074 

1,247 
473 
959 

1,433 
334 

1,038 

1,240 
491 

2,391 

1,074 
1,204 


1,655 
323 


323 
277 

277 

1,599 

552 

978 

1,623 

581 

1,072 

1.669 

917 

847 

1,777 

902 
4,488 
3,511 


HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


171 


In  explanation  of  the  figures  relating  to  the  population  of  the 
incorporated  cities  and  villages  of  the  county  the  government  reports 
give  the  following  facts:  Thomasboro  Village  was  incorporated  in  1900. 
In  1900  Eantoul  Village  was  returned  as  in  Eantoul  Township  only, 
and  Ivesdale  as  in  Champaign  County  alone.  Longview  Village  was 
incorporated  in  1903  and  Pesotum  Village  in  1906.  In  1907  the  part 
of  Champaign  City  in  Urbana  Township  was  annexed  to  the  corporation. 


CHAPTER  VI 
LEGAL  AND  MEDICAL 

SUPREME  COURT  AND  CIRCUIT  JUDGES — WILLIAM  WILSON,  FIRST 
CIRCUIT  JUDGE — FIRST  PROBATE  JUDGE — JUSTIN  HARLAN — SECOND 
TERM  OF  CIRCUIT  COURT — FIRST  CRIMINAL  INDICTMENT — POPULAR 
RESORT  FOR  BENCH  AND  BAR — As  EFFECTIVE  AS  BOLTS  AND  BARS — 
AUGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH — AARON  SHAW  AND  0.  B.  FICKLIN — CIRCUIT 
DUTIES  AGAIN  IMPOSED  ON  SUPREME  COURT — THE  COUNTY  IN  THE 
EIGHTH  CIRCUIT — FIRST  MURDER  TRIAL  IN  THE  COUNTY — UNDER 
THE  1848  CONSTITUTION — DAVID  DAVIS — JOSEPH  G.  CANNON'S 
MAIDEN  PROSECUTION — OLIVER  L.  DAVIS — UNDER  THE  CONSTITU- 
TION OF  1870 — C.  B.  SMITH — FRANCIS  M.  WRIGHT — SOLON  PHIL- 
BRICK — FRANKLIN  H.  BOGGS — HOME  JUDICIAL  TIMBER — WHAT  THE 
CIRCUIT  COURT  RECORDS  SHOW — JUDGE  HARLAN'S  LAST  WORK — PRO- 
BATE JUDGES — JOHN  BROWNFIELD — SETTLED  OUT  OF  COURT — ARCHA 
CAMPBELL,  LAST  PROBATE  JUDGE — COUNTY  JUDGES — JUDGE  J.  0. 
CUNNINGHAM — WILLIAM  D.  SOMERS,  FIRST  RESIDENT  LAWYER — 
COL.  W.  N.  COLER,  SECOND  LAWYER — JUSTICE  JAMES  S.  GERE — 
JAMES  W.  SOMERS— HENRY  C.  WHITNEY — JAMES  B.  McKiNLEY — 
S.  B.  RADEBAUGH — GEORGE  W.  GERE — JOHN  C.  BLACK — MILTON  W. 
MATHEWS — ROBERT  C.  WRIGHT — WILLIAM  B.  WEBBER — THE  MEDI- 
CAL PROFESSION — CHOLERA  EPIDEMIC  OF  1834 — DR.  T.  FULKERSON, 
FIRST  RESIDENT  PHYSICIAN — DR.  JAMES  H.  LYON — VICTIMS  OF 
MIASMA — DRS.  HARMAN  STEVENS  AND  JOHN  S.  SADDLER — DR. 
WINSTON  SOMERS — DR.  WILLIAM  A.  CONKEY — DR.  PHILIP  C. 
MOSIER — PIONEERS  AT  URBANA  AND  WEST  UHBANA — READY  FOR 
THE  CHOLERA  EPIDEMIC  OF  1854 — THE  WIPING  OUT  OF  A  FAMILY — 
DR.  CHARLES  A.  HUNT — DR.  SAMUEL  W.  KINCAID — DR.  HERMAN 
CHAFFEE — OTHER  MEMBERS  OF  THE  PROFESSION. 

The  word  professional  is  very  broadly  applied  in  these  days — to  the 
activities  of  lawyers  and  judges,  to  the  work  of  the  medical  fraternity, 
to  the  labors  of  civil  enginers,  and  the  many  and  complex  duties  of  the 
litterateur.  This  chapter  confines  itself  to  dealings  with  those  men  and 
women,  the  efficient  performance  qf  whose  life  work  is  based  upon  a  pre- 
liminary education  and  training  prescribed  by  institutions  and  individual 
authorities,  and  which  earns  for  those  who  have  completed  them  the 

172 


HISTORY   OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  173 

official  right  to  pursue  their  careers  in  the  communities  which  they 
may  select.  The  chapter  is  also  limited  to  professions  which  operate 
either  through  the  machinery  of  the  county  government,  and  the  mem- 
bers of  which  depend  chiefly  upon  their  individual  exertions,  rather 
than  upon  business  operations,  for  their  success.  Such  a  definition 
would  include  teachers  and  clergymen,  but  the  former  have  a  chapter 
solely  devoted  to  them,  and  the  clergymen,  with  their  churches,  are 
spoken  of  at  length  in  the  histories  of  the  various  communities  to  which 
they  have  contributed  their  best  in  the  field  of  Christianity  and  spiritual 
progress.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  press  and  the  newspaper  men 
and  women  of  the  county,  who  represent  powers  in  the  interest  of 
enlightenment  and  progress  not  easily  to  be  gauged.  The  legal  and 
medical  fields  are  therefore  those  left  open  for  the  consideration  of  this 
chapter. 

SUPREME  COUET  AND  CIRCUIT  JUDGES 

As  a  rule,  justice  in  Champaign  County  has  been  faithfully  con- 
served and  wisely  administered  through  the  Circuit,  Probate  and  County 
Courts.  Under  the  constitution  of  1818  the  judicial  power  of  the  state 
was  vested  in  the  Supreme  Court,  comprising  a  chief  justice  and  three 
associates,  with  such  inferior  courts  as  the  Legislature  might  establish. 
The  operations  of  the  five  Circuit  Courts,  which  were  in  existence  when 
Champaign  was  set  off  from  Vermilion  County,  in  1833,  were  conducted 
by  four  associate  justices  of  the  State  Supreme  Court  (act  of  1829), 
and  the  special  circuit  judge  assigned  to  duty  for  the  territory  north- 
west of  the  Illinois  River.  Champaign  County  was  in  the  fourth 
circuit  and,  by  law,  Judge  William  Wilson,  of  Carmi,  White  County, 
was  assigned  to  its  courts;  but  he  never  appeared  at  Urbana  to  adminis- 
ter justice  in  that  capacity. 

WILLIAM  WILSON,  FIRST  CIRCUIT  JUDGE 

Under  the  statutes,  William  Wilson  was  the  first  circuit  judge  of 
Champaign  County,  and  is  therefore  entitled  to  a  short  sketch.  In 
early  life  he  came  to  Kaskaskia,  Illinois.  His  character  was  above 
reproach.  He  had  not  enjoyed  a  collegiate  education,  but  his  legal 
attainments  were  good.  It  is  said  by  a  friend  that  "he  was  social  in 
disposition,  candid  and  artless  by  nature,  with  a  manner  pleasant  and 
winning."  For  nearly  thirty  years  he  was  one  of  the  supreme  judges 
of  our  state.  His  home  for  many  years  was  about  two  miles  from  Carmi, 
the  capital  of  White  County,  and  here  he  exercised  genuine  old  Virginian 


174  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

hospitality.  Mr.  Wilson  was  circuit  judge  for  a  short  time,  and  on  the 
7th  of  August,  1819,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  on  the  Supreme 
Bench  of  the  state  created  by  the  resignation  of  the  gentlemanly 
swindler,  William  P.  Foster,  who  had  never  gone  near  his  circuit,  but 
had  drawn  his  salary  with  the  regularity  of  a  modern  member  of  Con- 
gress. When  the  constitution  of  1848  went  into  effect  Mr.  Wilson  retired 
to  private  life.  He  died  at  his  home  April  29,  1857,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years,  and  met  death  with  the  serenity  that  accompanies  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  well-spent  life. 

FIRST  PROBATE  JUDGE 

As  has  been  noted,  while  the  few  settlers  in  what  is  now  Champaign 
County  were  still  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Vermilion,  a  number  of 
justices  of  the  peace  had  been  appointed  to  settle  any  legal  difficulties 
which  might  arise,  and  not  long  before  the  first  election  in  April,  1833, 
one  of  their  number,  Moses  Thomas,  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  to 
the  probate  judgeship,  the  first  to  occupy  that  bench  for  Champaign 
County.  He  canvassed  the  election  returns,  issued  certificates  of  elec- 
tion to  the  successful  candidates,  and  commenced  at  once  to  perform 
the  other  authorized  duties  of  his  office.  The  Probate  Court  was  the 
pioneer  body  to  actually  administer  justice  in  Champaign  County. 

It  was  a  new  era  in  the  judicial  history  of  the  county  which  com- 
menced in  1835.  In  that  year  the  state  was  divided  into  six  judicial 
circuits,  and  five  additional  circuit  judges  having  been  elected,  the 
supreme  judges  were  again  relieved  from  Circuit  Court  duties.  Cham- 
paign County  was  still  in  the  fourth  circuit,  and  on  January  19,  1835, 
Justin  Harlan,  an  uncle  of  the  late  United  States  Senator  James  Har- 
lan,  of  Iowa,  was  commissioned  its  judge.  On  the  following  6th  of 
April  he  opened  the  first  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Champaign 
County  at  the  store  of  Isaac  H.  Alexander,  a  resident  of  Danville,  whose 
local  interests  were  managed  by  County  Clerk  Webber. 

JUSTIN  HARLAN 

Justin  Harlan  was  an  Ohio  man,  who,  when  a  young  man,  had 
settled  in  Clark  County,  Illinois,  and  had  served  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  from  that  section  of  the  state  before  assuming  his  official  duties. 
He  served  as  circuit  judge  until  1841,  was  a  delegate  to  the  constitu- 
tional convention  of  1847,  was  elected  to  the  Circuit  Bench  under  the 
constitution  of  1848  and  reelected  in  1855,  held  the  office  of  Indian 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  175 

agent  from  1862  to  1865,  was  chosen  county  judge  of  Clark  County  in 
1872,  and  died  while  on  a  visit  to  Kentucky,  in  March,  1879. 

With  Judge  Harlan  appeared  Sheriff-elect  Andrew  Stevenson,  ready 
to  enforce  any  decrees  of  the  court,  and  Thomson  E.  Webber  was 
appointed  circuit  clerk.  The  grand  jury  impaneled  and  sworn  com- 
prised Jacob  Bartley  (foreman),  Samuel  Wilson,  James  Copeland, 
Jonathan  Maxwell,  William  Jackson,  James  Osborn,  John  Bryan, 
Benjamin  Dulemy,  John  Baily,  Sr.,  John  Jayne,  Larkin  Deer,  George 
Bartley,  Isaac  Busey,  Charles  Busey,  Charles  Hapstonstall,  Joshua 
Trickle,  Matthew  Busey  and  Joshua  Taylor. 

The  official  bonds  of  the  sheriff,  clerk  and  Coroner  Adam  Yeazel, 
were  approved,  and  the  two  cases  on  the  calendar  were  continued.  The 
latter  were  two  actions  for  slander,  McDonald  Osborn  vs.  William 
Phillips  and  the  same  plaintiff  against  Nathaniel  Hanline. 

Before  the  end  of  the  day  the  Grand  Jury  reported  that  there  were 
no  indictments  to  be  made;  whereupon  that  body  was  discharged  and 
the  court  adjourned. 

SECOND  TERM  OF  CIRCUIT  COURT 

The  second  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  was  held  at  the  house  and 
store  of  Israel  Knapp,  the  successor,  in  occupancy  and  proprietorship,  of 
Mr.  Alexander,  in  October,  1835.  It  was  held  by  Judge  Alexander  P. 
Grant  of  Shawneetown  and  occupied  two  days.  It  was  one  of  his  last 
appearances  on  the  bench,  or  in  life.  He  was  a  lawyer  and  a  judge  of 
marked  ability.  In  February,  1835,  he  had  been  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  as  judge  of  the  third  circuit  to  succeed  Henry  Eddy,  the 
pioneer  lawyer  and  editor  of  Shawneetown,  under  whom  he  had  studied 
his  profession.  Soon  after  holding  court  at  Urbana,  Judge  Grant  died 
in  Vandalia,  Fayette  County. 

The  petit  jurors  sworn  to  try  the  slander  suit  of  Osborn  against 
Phillips  were  Jacob  Heater,  John  Jayne,  Nelson  Powell,  William  Cor- 
ray,  James  Copeland,  John  Baily,  Sr.,  Hiram  Eankin,  Frederick  Bouse, 
Garret  Moore,  Isaac  Burris,  William  Galliher  and  Hiram  Johnson. 
The  record  shows  that  the  jury  returned  a  verdict  in  favor  of  Phillips, 
and  evidently  the  second  suit  was  not  pressed.  Samuel  McRoberts, 
Osborn's  attorney,  who  appeared  at  this  October  term  as  the  first  lawyer 
to  try  a  case  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  Champaign  County,  was  then  the 
receiver  at  the  Danville  Land  Office  and  stood  high  in  his  profession. 
While  a  resident  of  Monroe  County,  in  the  late  '20s,  he  had  served  as 
one  of  the  circuit  judges  of  the  state.  In  1841  he  was  elected  to  the 


176 


HISTOKY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


United  States  Senate  and  served  in  that  body  until  his  death  in  1842. 
But  despite  his  ability  and  standing  he  lost  the  slander  cases  brought 
before  Judge  Grant. 

FIRST  CRIMINAL  INDICTMENT 

There  was  no  April  term  in  1836,  but  at  the  October  term  of  that 
year  Justin  Harlan  again  opened  court.  It  convened  in  the  temporary 
courthouse.  The  court  rendered  a  judgment  by  default  against  Isaiah 
Corray  in  favor  of  Mr.  Chestnut  for  $265.  The  grand  jury,  of  which 
Colonel  M.  W.  Busey  was  foreman,  returned  the  first  criminal  indict- 
ment in  the  legal  history  of  the  county.  Aaron  Shaw,  the  state's 


OLD  KELLY  TAVERN,  ST.  JOSEPH 
(One  of  Lincoln's  stopping  places) 

attorney,  charged  John  H.  Busey  with  having  disturbed  the  peace.  The 
indictment  was  quashed  at  the  April  term,  which  also  convened  in  the 
make-shift  courthouse.  It  appears  that  both  bench  and  bar  were  more 
comfortable  in  private  houses  than  in  official  quarters,  for  the  Septem- 
ber term  of  1837  was  held  at  the  residence  of  Isaac  Busey. 

POPULAR  EESORT  FOR  BENCH  AND  BAR 

Although  this  temporary  courthouse  was  notably  unpopular  with  the 
pioneer  judiciary  and  legal  practitioners  of  Champaign  County,  it 
proved  to  be  the  seed  of  something  very  dear  to  the  old-time  members 
of  the  profession.  The  lot  upon  which  it  was  originally  built,  with  an 
adjoining  tract,  was  sold  to  Asahel  Brauer  in  1841.  He  moved  the  log 
house  to  the  consolidated  site,  clapboarded  it,  added  to  it,  and  opened 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  177 

the  Urbana  House.  The  hotel  was  long  the  best  stopping  place  afforded 
by  the  county  seat,  a  favorite  headquarters  of  professional  life,  and 
provided  shelter  and  food  to  such  judges  as  Treat  and  the  Davises,  and 
such  lawyers  as  Lincoln,  Linder,  Leonard  Swett,  Kirby  Benedict,  D.  B. 
Campbell,  Josiah  Lamborn,  J.  A.  McDougall,  J.  N.  Roberts,  Amzi 
McWilliams  and  John  Pearson.  In  time,  the  Urbana  House  became 
the  Pennsylvania  House,  with  which  the  names  of  John  H.  Thomas, 
C.  M.  Vanderveer  and  Samuel  Waters  are  associated  as  proprietors  and 
hosts. 

As  EFFECTIVE  AS  BOLTS  AND  BARS 

Until  1841  the  bench  and  bar  of  Champaign  County,  at  their  head- 
quarters in  Urbana,  were  shifted  around  from  pillar  to  post.  The 
temporary  courthouse  of  1836,  as  well  as  the  little  frame  building  of 
1837,  was  abandoned,  and  the  court  and  lawyers  were  accommodated  in 
the  log  houses  of  various  residents.  Until  1840  there  was  not  even  an 
excuse  for  a  jail,  although  several  petty  criminals  had  been  convicted. 
It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  a  prisoner,  having  been  tried,  and 
while  awaiting  the  verdict  of  the  jury  deliberating  in  a  nearby  thicket 
of  hazel  brush,  was  detained  by  the  sheriff  thus :  His  hands  were  tied 
behind  him  and  his  feet  were  bound  together;  a  sapling  was  bent  down 
and  fastened  to  his  feet,  which,  being  left  free,  raised  the  legs  of  the 
prisoner  their  length  from  the  ground.  He  was  about  as  secure  as 
bolts  and  bars  would  have  made  him. 

AUGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH 

Among  the  practitioners  of  these  primitive  days  before  the  Circuit 
Court,  Judge  Cunningham  mentions  Aaron  Shaw,  then  of  Clark 
County;  0.  B.  Ficklin,  of  Charleston,  Coles  County;  John  J.  Brown,  of 
Danville ;  Matthew  Van  Deveer,  of  Champaign  County,  and  Augustus  C. 
French,  of  Crawford  County.  Three  of  those  mentioned  earned  national 
reputations.  After  serving  in  the  Legislature  several  terms,  and  as 
presidential  elector  in  1844,  Mr.  French  was  elected  by  the  Democrats 
as  the  ninth  governor  of  Illinois  and  thus  served  in  1846-52.  He  was 
afterward  appointed  state  bank  commissioner,  was  a  member  of  the 
constitutional  convention  of  1862,  and  died  at  Lebanon,  where  he  had 
held  the  chair  of  law  at  McKendree  College,  in  September,  1864. 

AARON  SHAW  AND  0.  B.  FICKLIN 

Both  Aaron  Shaw  and  0.  B.  Ficklin  served  several  terms  in  Con- 
gress.    Mr.  Shaw  was  a  member  of  the  first  Internal  Improvements 
1—12 


178  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

convention  of  Illinois,  was  states  attorney  of  Lawrence  County  and  a 
member  of  the  Legislature;  judge  of  the  twenty-fifth  circuit  for  four 
years  and  served  in  the  thirty-fifth  and  forty-eighth  Congresses,  1856 
and  1882,  respectively. 

Orlando  B.  Ficklin  served  in  the  Legislature  and  as  state's  attorney, 
while  a  resident  of  Wabash  County ;  three  terms  in  the  Legislature,  after 
he  had  moved  to  Charleston  (1838) ;  was  a  congressman  from  Coles 
County,  in  1843-49  and  1851-53,  and  subsequently  presidential  elector; 
delegate  to  national  Democratic  convention  and  a  member  of  the  state 
constitutional  convention  of  1862.  He  died  at  Charleston  May  5,  1886. 

CIRCUIT  DUTIES  AGAIN  IMPOSED  ON  SUPREME  COURT 

The  foregoing  sketches  should  convey  an  idea  of  the  large  caliber 
of  the  early  judges  and  lawyers  who  graced  the  profession  in  Champaign 
County  during  the  earlier  period  of  its  history.  Among  the  occupants 
of  the  Circuit  bench  none  stood  higher  than  Justin  Harlan,  who  con- 
tinued to  preside  in  Champaign  County  until  he  was  legislated  out  of 
office  by  the  act  of  February  10,  1841.  That  measure  repealed  all  acts 
authorizing  the  election  of  circuit  judges  by  the  Legislature;  provided 
for  the  appointment  of  five  additional  associate  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  making  nine  in  all;  reimposed  the  circuit  duties  on  the  members 
of  the  State  Supreme  Court,  and  divided  the  state  into  nine  circuits. 

THE  COUNTY  IN  THE  EIGHTH  CIRCUIT 

Under  the  law  of  1841  Champaign  County  was  included  in  the 
eighth  circuit  which  embraced  the  fifteen  counties  between  the  Illinois 
Eiver  and  the  Indiana  line,  with  Livingston  on  the  north  and  Sangamon 
on  the  south.  Judge  Samuel  H.  Treat  was  assigned  to  that  circuit, 
thus  succeeding  Justin  Harlan. 

Judge  Treat,  who  had  been  a  resident  of  Springfield  for  a  number 
of  years  and  appointed  to  the  Circuit  Court  in  1839,  at  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1841,  became  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  that  body,  and  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  1848 
was  acting  chief  justice.  He  continued  to  .preside  over  the  court  in 
Champaign  County  until  that  year,  remaining  on  the  Supreme  bench 
under  the  new  constitution  until  1855,  when  he  resigned  to  assume  the 
judgeship  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District 
of  Illinois.  He  was  filling  that  position  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  Springfield,  March  27,  1887,  and  concluded  one  of  the  ' 
longest  judicial  careers  in  the  history  of  the  state. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  179 

FIRST  MURDER  TRIAL  IN  THE  COUNTY 

The  name  of  the  first  murderer  and  his  victim  are  alike  unknown. 
A  tradition,  however,  informs  us  that  in  early  times,  before  the  settle- 
ment of  this  county,  a  thief  who  had  stolen  a  horse  in  Indiana,  fled 
with  his  booty  westward.  A  band  of  "regulators"  pursued  and  overtook 
him  at  a  point  known  as  Tow  Head,  an  isolated  clump  of  trees  on  the 
ridge  a  mile  north  of  the  present  village  of  Philo.  Overcome  by  fatigue, 
he  was  sleeping  beneath  a  tree,  with  the  stolen  horse  tethered  near. 
The  avengers  sent  a  rifle-ball  crashing  through  his  brain,  and  he  passed 
without  a  struggle  from  the  repose  of  sleep  to  the  repose  of  death.  His 
body  was  left  to  rot  unburied,  and  the  bleached  skeleton  was  seen  by 
early  settlers  who  passed  the  lonely  grove. 

The  first  murder  in  this  county  for  which  there  was  a  trial  and 
conviction,  was  that  known  as  the  Weaver-Hiltibran  murder.  On  the 
10th  day  of  October,  1844,  William  Weaver,  of  Urbana,  a  miserable, 
drunken,  reckless  wretch,  shot  David  Hiltibran  in  the  right  side  with 
a  rifle,  without  any  apparent  motive,  except  the  fiendish  recklessness 
that  often  attends  men  who  have  become  besotted.  He  was  arrested 
and  indicted  at  the  May  term  of  1845  by  a  grand  jury,  of  which  William 
D.  Somers  was  foreman.  Judge  Treat  was  on  the  bench;  J.  A.  Mc- 
Dougall,  attorney  for  the  State,  T.  E.  Webber,  clerk,  and  Wilson  Lewis, 
sheriff. 

The  following  jurors  tried  the  case :  Joseph  White,  Harrison  W. 
Drellinger,  Alexander  Walter,  Henry  Sadorus,  W.  H.  Brobst,  Charles 
W.  Pitchan,  David  Hammer,  John  Hammer,  John  Mead,  Winston 
Somers,  Michael  Finebaugh,  and  Wells  Edgerton. 

On  the  opening  of  the  trial,  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  became  before 
his  death  "the  foremost  man  of  all  the  world,"  and  Asahel  Gridley,  were 
appointed  by  the  court  to  defend  the  prisoner,  but  his  guilt  was  too  well 
established  during  the  trial  to  admit  of  any  verdict  but  "guilty,"  and 
William  Weaver  was  accordingly  sentenced  to  be  hung  on  Friday,  June 
27,  1845.  A  few  days,  however,  before  the  day  of  execution,  he  made 
his  escape  from  jail,  fled  to  Wisconsin,  and  was  never  recaptured.  He 
subsequently  changed  his  name,  reformed,  and  lived  a  decent  life.  His 
near  view  of  the  gallows  seems  to  have  somewhat  revolutionized  him 
and  put  him  on  his  good  behavior. 

UNDER  THE  1848  CONSTITUTION 

The  constitution  of  1848  made  all  judicial  officers  elective  by  the 
people,  and  provided  for  a  Supreme  Court  of  three  judges,  Circuit, 


180  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

County  and  Justices'  Courts;  also  conferred  upon  the  Legislature  power 
to  create  inferior  municipal  courts.  Appeals  lay  from  the  Circuit 
courts  to  the  Supreme  Court  for  the  particular  division  in  which  the 
county  might  be  located.  The  term  of  office  for  Supreme  Court  judges 
was  nine  years  and  for  Circuit  judges,  six.  Vacancies  were  to  be  filled 
by  popular  election,  unless  the  unexpired  term  of  the  deceased  or 
retiring  incumbent  was  less  than  one  year,  in  which  case  the  governor 
was  authorized  to  appoint.  Circuit  courts  were  vested  with  appellate 
jurisdiction  from  inferior,  tribunals,  and  each  was  required  to  hold  at 
least  two  terms  annually  in  each  county,  as  might  be  fixed  by  statute. 

DAVID  DAVIS 

Judge  David  Davis,  who  succeeded  Judge  Samuel  H.  Treat  as  the 
first  Circuit  judge  for  this  circuit,  under  the  constitution  of  1848, 
attained  perhaps  the  highest  national  rank  of  any  one  who  has  appeared 
upon  any  Champaign  County  bench.  His  service  extended  from  the 
May  term  of  1849  until  the  end  of  the  April  term  of  1861,  when  Cham- 
paign County  was  set  off  from  the  Eighth  and  attached  to  the  Twenty- 
seventh  circuit.  Previous  to  his  election  as  judge  of  the  Eighth  circuit, 
Judge  David  had  practiced  law  at  Bloomington  for  a  number  of  years 
and  served  a  term  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature.  He  was 
reelected  to  the  bench  in  1855  and  1861,  resigning  in  the  following 
year  to  ascend  the  bench  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  under 
appointment  of  his  close  friend,  Lincoln.  Eesigning  from  the  national 
Supreme  Court  to  become  United  States  senator  in  1887,  he  served 
until  the  end  of  his  term  in  1885,  and  died  in  June  of  the  following 
year,  at  his  home  in  Bloomington. 

JOSEPH  G.  CANNON'S  MAIDEN  PROSECUTION 

The  last  term  held  by  Judge  Davis  in  Urbana,  that  of  April,  1861, 
was  notable  in  many  ways.  Not  only  did  it  mark  the  severing  of 
strongly  cemented  relations  which  had  been  formed  by  his  honorable 
and  able  course  as  a  circuit  judge,  and  his  warm  and  attractive  personal 
character,  but  the  birth-pangs  of  the  Civil  War  were  well  advanced,  and 
the  second  murder  trial  in  the  history  of  the  county  was  tried  during 
that  period,  under  the  maiden  prosecution  of  the  newly  elected  attorney 
of  the  circuit,  Joseph  G.  Cannon.  John  Murphy  had  been  indicted  for 
the  murder  of  S.  S.  Eankin,  and  while  Mr.  Cannon  was  making  his 
closing  address,  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  circuit,  Beauregard 
opened  fire  upon  Fort  Sumter.  Mr.  Cannon  was  then  a  struggling 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  181 

young  lawyer  of  Danville,  and  held  the  position  of  state's  attorney  until 
1868.  A  few  years  afterward  he  commenced  his  phenomenal  career  as 
a  congressman. 

OLIVEE  L.  DAVIS 

Oliver  L.  Davis  was  elected  judge  of  the  new  Twenty-seventh  circuit 
in  March,  1861,  at  which  time  Mr.  Cannon  was  chosen  prosecuting 
attorney.  He  was  also  from  Danville  and  had  served  several  terms  in 
the  General  Assembly  before  being  elected  to  the  bench.  He  resigned 
in  1866,  but  served  a  second  term  in  1873-79,  having  been  assigned  to 
the  Appellate  bench  in  1877.  He  died  January  12,  1892. 

In  1866  Judge  Oliver  L.  Davis  was  succeeded  by  James  Steele,  of 
Paris,  Edgar  County,  who  held  court  but  one  term  before  the  county 
was  taken  from  the  Twenty-seventh  circuit  and  attached  to  the  Seven- 
teenth, over  which  Charles  Emmerson  then  presided.  He  had  already 
been  serving  on  the  Circuit  bench  for  fourteen  years.  Judge  Emmerson's 
home  was  in  Decatur.  In  1867  he  was  defeated  for  a  justiceship  of 
the  State  Supreme  Court;  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional 
convention  of  1870,  but  died  in  April  of  that  year  before  that  body  had 
concluded  its  deliberations. 

UNDER  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  1870 

The  constitution  of  1870  retained  the  popular  elective  feature  of  the 
judiciary  and  the  terms  of  office  of  the  Supreme  and  Circuit  Court 
judges  as  fixed  by  the  constitution  of  1848.  The  number  of  Supreme 
Court  judges  was  increased  to  seven,  as  at  present.  In  1873  the  state 
was  divided  into  twenty-seven  circuits  and  in  1877,  into  thirteen. 
Under  the  provisions  of  the  latter  year,  while  the  twenty-six  judges 
already  in  office  were  retained,  an  additional  judge  was  authorized  for 
each  district  to  serve  two  years,  making  the  entire  Circuit  judiciary  to 
consist  of  thirty-nine  judges.  In  all  this  legislation  Cook  County  was 
in  a  class  by  itself,  constituting  one  circuit;  the  same  is  true  regarding 
the  act  of  1897,  which  increased  the  number  of  circuits  to  seventeen 
(exclusive  of  Cook  County),  while  the  number  of  judges  in  each  circuit 
remained  the  same. 

The  constitution  of  1870  provided  for  the  organization  of  Appellate 
Courts  after  1874.  The  Legislature  established  four  of  these  tribunals, 
Champaign  County  being  in  what  was  denominated  the  Central  Grand 
Division.  Each  Appellate  Court  is  held  by  three  Circuit  Court  judges 
named  by  the  State  Supreme  Court,  each  assignment  covering  three 


182  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

years,  and  no  judge  is  allowed  to  receive  extra  compensation  or  sit  in 
review  of  his  own  rulings  or  decisions.  Two  terms  are  held  in  each 
district  yearly.  The  Appellate  Courts  have  no  original  jurisdiction. 

C.  B.  SMITH 

Arthur  J.  Gallagher,  who  succeeded  Judge  Emmerson  as  circuit 
judge  of  the  court  held  in  Champaign  County,  in  1867,  held  over  during 
the  judicial  reorganization  brought  about  by  the  constitution  of  1870, 
and  was  succeeded  in  1873  by  Judge  C.  B.  Smith.  Judge  Smith  served 
the  people  and  the  profession  so  acceptably  that  he  was  retained  on  the 
Circuit  bench  for  three  terms,  or  eighteen  years,  and  the  period  of  his 
incumbency  was  a  remarkably  busy  and  important  one. 

FBANCIS  M.  WRIGHT  ' 

Francis  M.  Wright,  his  successor  in  1891,  had  been  a  resident  of 
Urbana  since  1868,  much  of  the  time  as  junior  member  of  the  well 
known  law  firm  of  Somers  &  Wright.  Judge  Wright  was  reelected  to 
the  Circuit  bench  in  1897,  serving  altogether  nearly  twelve  years,  dur- 
ing nine  of  which  he  was  a  member  of  the  Appellate  judiciary.  He 
resigned  in  January,  1903,  to  accept  appointment  as  judge  of  the  United 
States  Court  of  Claims,  moving  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  assume  that 
position.  There  he  served  until  his  appointment  by  President  Roose- 
velt, in  1908,  as  judge  of  the  Federal  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of 
Illinois.  Judge  Wright  died  at  his  home  in  Urbana,  July  15,  1917. 

Judge  Wright's  term  of  office  as  Circuit  judge  was  signalized  by  the 
completion  of  the  present  massive  and  attractive  courthouse,  and  on  the 
fourth  Monday  of  September,  1901,  he  opened  the  fall  term  of  court  in 
the  elegant  and  commodious  quarters  provided  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  judiciary,  the  juries,  officials  connected  with  the  legal  department 
and  members  of  the  profession.  It  was  certainly  a  large  step  from  the 
temporary  courthouse  of  1836  to  the  fine  structure  of  1901. 

SOLON  PHILBRICK 

Solon  Philbrick,  a  lawyer  of  Champaign  City  and  member  of  the 
firm  of  Gere  &  Philbrick,  succeeded  Judge  Wright  in  the  Circuit  judg- 
ship  by  appointment  January  20,  1903,  and  in  the  following  June  was 
elected  to  that  bench,  and  again  elected  in  June,  1909.  Previous  to 
ascending  the  bench  he  had  been  city  attorney  of  Champaign  and  master 
in  chancery  of  Champaign  County. 

Judge  Philbrick  died  in  Springfield,  April  13,  1914. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  183 

FRANKLIN  H.  BOGGS 

In  September,  1914,  Franklin  H.  Boggs,  the  present  incumbent  of 
the  bench,  was  elected  to  succeed  Judge  Philbrick.  He  had  been 
engaged  in  a  leading  practice  at  Urbana,  during  most  of  the  period,  as 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Cunningham  &  Boggs. 

HOME  JUDICIAL  TIMBER 

So  that  the  ever  increasing  importance  of  Champaign  County  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Sixth  circuit  has  been  recognized  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years  by  the  selection  of  local  professional  ability  in  the  construction  of 
judicial  timber. 

WHAT  THE  CIRCUIT  COURT  RECORDS  SHOW 

The  late  Judge  Cunningham,  whose  death  cut  off  much  interesting 
material,  which  would  otherwise  have  appeared  in  this  history,  has 
already  recorded  the  following,  in  connection  with  the  early  formative 
period  of  the  Circuit  Court  system  in  Champaign  County :  "The 
records  were  originally  written,  not  in  a  book,  but,  as  it  would  seem, 
upon  loose  sheets  of  paper  such  as  were  in  use  generally  at  that  date. 
No  ruling  appears  upon  the  sheets  as  manufactured,  the  lines  followed 
having  been  made  by  a  ruler  and  lead  plummet.  The  paper  is  rough 
and  coarse,  and  has  apparently  been  since  bound  into  book  form,  with 
subsequent  records. 

"The  record  of  the  first  term  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Judge  Harlan, 
briefly  written,  but  generally  in  the  approved  forms  of  judicial  records. 
The  record  of  the  second  term  is  largely  in  the  handwriting  of  Judge 
Grant.  Subsequent  records  are  partly  in  the  handwriting  of  the  clerk, 
Mr.  Webber,  and  partly  the  work  of  others,  presumably  of  the  judges  or 
lawyers  for  some  years,  but  finally  wholly  the  work  of  the  clerk.  Judge 
Treat  wrote  much  of  the  record  of  terms  held  by  him  in  his  well  known 
strong  hand.  With  this  judge,  in  1841,  came  a  bound  book  of  a  better 
quality  of  paper  ruled  in  the  manufacture.  There  came  also  the  use 
of  forms  in  the  record  which  more  nearly  conform  to  those  in  use  in 
later  years. 

"During  the  first  twenty  years  of  the  life  of  the  county,  a  singular 
repetition  of  the  same  names  in  the  juries  called,  appears — being  mostly 
the  names  of  those  who  came  early  to  the  county.  New  names  keep 
dropping  in  every  year.  Each  day's  record  is  duly  signed  by  the  pre- 


184  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

siding  judge,  and  as  the  terms  usually  lasted  but  two  days,  the  record 
must  have  been  actually  written  up  as  the  business  of  the  court  pro- 
ceeded. 

JUDGE  HAELAN'S  LAST  WORK 

"The  last  work  done  by  Judge  Harlan  in  finishing  up  his  long  term 
of  service  in  the  county,  was  the  writing  of  a  decree  of  divorce  of  nine 
lines,  whereby  he  forever  divorced  Eobert  Prather,  the  owner  of  Prather's 
Ford,  from  his  wife,  Letitia.  According  to  modern  lights  on  the  divorce 
question,  the  merest  tyro  in  law  forms  would  hold  that,  for  all  of  this 
decree,  Robert  and  Letitia,  long  since  dead,  died  in  the  bonds  of  holy 
wedlock. 

"Another  feature  of  interest  in  the  record  is  the  small  number  of 
indictments  found  by  the  grand  juries.  Not  until  more  than  three  years 
of  the  life  of  the  county  was  the  first  indictment  returned  into  court, 
and  only  twenty  bills  were  found  during  the  first  ten  years.  These  were 
for  offenses  most  likely  to  occur  in  a  new  country.  The  offenses  charged 
were :  Disturbance  of  the  peace ;  obstructing  a  road ;  passing  counter- 
feit money;  assaults  of  various  kinds;  selling  whisky  without  license; 
kidnapping;  larceny,  and  carrying  deadly  weapons.  Only  two  convic- 
tions followed." 

PROBATE  JUDGES 

The  continuity  of  the  county  judiciary  inferior  to  the  Circuit  Court, 
is  carried  along  through  the  Probate  and  County  systems,  with  the 
justices  of  the  peace  as  useful  and,  at  times,  very  busy  auxiliaries;  in 
fact,  under  the  constitution  of  1818  and  for  thirty  years  thereafter, 
matters  usually  classed  as  probate  and  those  now  assigned  to  justices 
of  the  peace,  were  under  the  jurisdiction  of  what  were  denominated 
probate  justices  of  the  peace,  or  as  they  were  more  generally  known 
probate  judges.  Moses  Thomas,  the  first  probate  judge,  served  from 
1833  to  1837,  when  John  B.  Thomas  was  elected.  He  was  followed  by 
M.  W.  Busey  in  1839,  John  Brownfield  in  1841,  Daniel  T.  Porter  in 
1843  and  Archa  Campbell,  in  1848. 

JOHN  BROWNFIELD 

Among  the  best  known  of  these  officials  were  John  Brownfield  and 
Archa  Campbell.  The  Brownfield  family  had  moved  from  Kentucky 
in  October,  1832,  and  settled  near  the  old  Fort  Clark  road  in  the  Big 
Grove  section.  John  Brownfield,  the  head  of  the  family,  was  then  a 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  185 

man  about  forty-seven  years  of  age,  and  a  blacksmith.  He  at  once 
built  a  horse  grist  mill  near  his  home,  which  became  a  most  popular 
institution  with  the  neighborhood  settlers.  A  few  years  afterward  he 
erected  a  saw  and  a  grist  mill,  operated  by  the  creek  about  three  miles 
below  Urbana.  Mr.  Brownfield  was  very  useful  and  popular,  both  by 
virtue  of  his  sound  abilities  and  his  personal  relations.  He  had  married 
a  sister  of  James  Clements,  another  leading  settler,  and  he  himself 
raised  thirteen  children,  some  of  whom  married  into  leading  families  of 
the  county. 

SETTLED  OUT  OF  COURT 

Mr.  Brownfield  died  in  July,  1863,  and  the  following  is  told  as  to 
his  native  shrewdness,  and  his  aptitude  for  settling  cases  out  of  court : 
"Born  and  reared  at  a  time  and  in  a  section  of  the  country,  when  and 
where  educational  facilities  were  out  of  the  question,  he  was  conspicuous 
for  his  lack  of  book  learning,  and  as  conspicuous  for  his  strong  common 
sense,  which  never  deserted  him  in  any  emergency.  Although  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  world  beyond  his  limited  line  of  observation,  he  was 
too  shrewd  and  alert  to  be  overreached  by  the  most  casuistic  of  sharpers. 
He  would  have  proven  himself  equal  to  the  ingenuousness  of  any  of  the 
modern  confidence  men,  had  they  visited  him  in  that  day.  His  shrewd- 
ness in  settling  by  the  most  peaceable  of  measures  a  threatened  lawsuit 
well  illustrates  his  aptness  in  dealing  with  men.  In  his  water  mill 
above  spoken  of,  he  made  use  of  a  wheel  fashioned  after  one  which 
somebody  had  patented,  without  thinking  of  infringing  on  any  one's 
rights,  others  of  the  same  pattern  being  in  use  in  the  neighborhood.  An 
agent  of  the  patentee  came  through  the  country  looking  after  infringers 
upon  his  patent.  He  came  to  Urbana  one  day,  put  up  his  team  and 
enquired  for  Mr.  Brownfield's  mill  and  residence,  and  was  told  he  was 
in  town.  The  two  soon  met  and  the  stranger  made  known  his  business. 
He  said  he  was  informed  that  Mr.  B.  had  in  use  one  of  his  patent 
wheels — that  he  had  already  settled  like  infringements  on  his  letters- 
patent  with  so-and-so,  and  was  disposed  to  settle  with  him  without  suit. 
Mr.  Brownfield  said  if  he  had  infringed  upon  the  rights  of  anyone  he 
was  willing  to  pay,  but  from  the  stranger's  description  of  his  wheel  he 
doubted  if  his  own  wheel  was  any  infringement.  He  invited  the 
claimant  to  go  with  him  to  his  mill  and  examine  for  himself.  It  was 
then  near  noon,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  two  should  meet  soon  after 
dinner  and  together  go  to  the  mill,  three  miles  away.  After  his  dinner 
the  stranger  drove  out  with  a  spirited  team  for  Mr.  Brownfield  to  pilot 
him  to  the  mill,  but  he  could  not  be  found.  After  some  further  search 


186  HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

he  concluded  to  go  alone  and  inspect  the  wheel.  He  soon  reached  the 
mill,  but  found  no  wheel  in  it.  The  smoking  embers  of  a  bonfire  near 
by  plainly  showed  that  the  wheel  and  all  evidence  of  its  character,  had 
been  reduced  to  ashes.  The  evidence  from  which  to  base  a  suit  was 
gone,  and  the  suit  thus  settled  by  peaceable  means." 

ARCHA  CAMPBELL,  LAST  PROBATE  JUDGE 

Archa  Campbell,  the  last  of  the  probate  justices,  was  also  self-edu- 
cated and  a  practical  man,  but  of  broader  character  than  Mr.  Brown- 
field.  He  was  a  New  Yorker,  one  of  those  traveling  merchants,  whose 
store  was  his  wagon,  and  in  the  course  of  his  business  wanderings 
through  Indiana  and  Illinois,  in  1839,  stopped  overnight  at  Urbana. 
In  1842  he  returned  to  that  locality  to  make  it  his  home.  He  not  only 
held  the  office  of  probate  justice,  but  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners 
who  managed  the  county  affairs.  It  was  during  his  term  as  commis- 
sioner that  the  second  courthouse,  the  frame  building,  was  moved  from 
the  public  square  and  the  three  thousand  dollar  brick  courthouse  was 
completed.  With  his  associates,  he  had  to  weather  a  somewhat  violent 
uprising  on  the  part  of  some  "thrifty"  taxpayers  who  rebelled  at  such 
reckless  extravagance.  Mr.  Campbell  was  the  first  mayor  of  Urbana, 
president  of  the  Urbana  Railroad  Company  which  did  the  preliminary 
work  on  its  first  street  railway,  and  one  of  the  first  to  join  the  new 
Republican  party.  Although  specifically  a  Methodist,  he  was  a  friend 
and  practical  helper  to  other  religious  denominations  and  many  char- 
ities, as  well  as  a  constant  promoter  of  kindliness  in  his  private  rela- 
tionships. 

COUNTY  JUDGES 

In  1848  the  new  constitution  authorized  the  organization  of  a  County 
Court,  comprising  a  judge  and  two  associates,  which  constituted  the 
governing  body  of  the  county.  Under  that  law,  in  1849  John  B. 
Thomas  was  elected  county  judge ;  Jesse  W.  Jaquith  and  Matthew  John- 
son, associates.  In  1853  Elisha  Harkness  was  chosen  judge,  with  M.  D. 
Coffeen  and  William  Stewart,  associates.  Edward  Ater  was  elected 
judge  in  1857;  Lewis  Jones  and  John  P.  Tenbrook,  associates.  Field- 
ing L.  Scott  was  elected  in  place  of  Mr.  Jones,  in  1859.  Of  the  fore- 
going, Judge  Tenbrook  was  widely  known  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county,  coming  from  Piatt  County  in  1850  and  locating  at  Sadorus. 
He  resided  in  that  village  for  many  years,  his  being  the  first  house 
erected  there.  After  the  county  adopted  township  organization,  he 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  187 

served  several  times  as  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Supervisors  and  was 
widely  honored  and  popular. 

Fielding  L.  Scott  was  a  much  earlier  settler,  coming  from  Vermilion 
County  in  1830.  He  settled  on  a  farm  near  the  present  village  of 
Mahomet,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1877.  He  was  a  stanch 
Union  man,  and  one  of  his  sons  was  killed  and  another  repeatedly 
wounded  in  the  Civil  War. 

JUDGE  J.  0.  CUNNINGHAM 

Under  township  organization,  J.  0.  Cunningham  was  elected  the  first 
county  judge  in  1861.  During  the  four  years  that  he  held  the  judgeship 
he  saw  the  necessity  for  some  well  considered  work  on  probate  law,  and 
some  years  afterwards  assisted  in  editing  and  publishing  the  standard 
book  entitled  "County  and  Probate  Court  Practice,"  by  Jones  and  Cun- 
ningham. Judge  Cunningham  was  a  versatile  and  graceful  writer,  espe- 
cially on  political  and  historic  topics ;  was  for  several  years  after  coming 
to  Urbana  editor  and  part  proprietor  of  the  Urbana  Union,  and  was  aft- 
erwards connected  with  the  Union  and  Gazette.  He  was  also  identified 
with  the  early  building  of  the  State  University;  but  his  main  business 
in  life  was  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  was  able,  generous,  sympa- 
thetic and  philanthropic,  and  the  "Cunningham  Deaconess  Home  and 
Orphanage"  will  long  stand  as  a  tribute  to  such  qualities.  As  a  Meth- 
odist, a  Mason  and  a  man  of  ability  and  practical  spirituality,  the  Judge 
rooted  himself  into  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Champaign  County  for 
sixty-four  years,  and  his  death  in  April,  1917,  caused  keen  and  wide- 
spread sorrow.  The  details  forming  the  life  of  this  sound  and  good 
man  will  be  found  in  a  more  extended  biography  elsewhere. 

Judge  Cunningham  was  succeeded  by  Alexander  M.  Avers,  who 
came  to  Urbana  in  1855  and  resided  there  until  his  death  in  1900.  He 
had.  served  during  the  last  three  years  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  quarter- 
master's department,  and  was  elected  county  judge  upon  his  discharge 
from  the  Union  service  in  June,  1865.  He  served  continuously  in  that 
office  until  1873;  in  the  following  year  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Urbana,  holding  that  office  until  1878,  and  thereafter  practicing  law 
during  the  remainder  of  his  active  life. 

The  successor  on  the  County  bench  of  Judge  Ayers  was  Joseph  W. 
Sim,  who  served  from  1873  until  the  conclusion  of  his  term  of  four 
years.  When  he  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-three  the  Sim  family  had 
settled  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  east  of  Urbana,  and  after  serving  as 
principal  of  the  village  school  for  a  time  commenced  the  study  of  law 


188  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

with  the  pioneer  lawyer  and  newspaper  man,  Colonel  William  N.  Coler. 
Upon  examination  he  was  admitted  to  practice,  and  at  once  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  preceptor,  as  Coler  &  Sim.  He  afterward  formed 
a  professional  connection  with  J.  0.  Cunningham.  In  1864-66  he 
served  as  mayor  of  Urbana.  In  the  late  '60s  he  withdrew  from  practice, 
because  of  ill  health,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
was  thus  employed  when  he  was  selected  judge  of  the  County  Court, 
in  the  fall  of  1873.  His  death  occurred  on  April  16,  1890. 

Judge  Sim  continued  on  the  County  bench  until  1877,  and  his  suc- 
cessors have  been  elected  as  follows:  James  W.  Langley,  in  1877;  Cal- 
vin C.  Staley,  1890 ;  Thomas  J.  Both,  1906 ;  William  G.  Spurgin,  1910 ; 
Roy  C.  Freeman,  1914. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  a  rapid  survey  has  been  taken  of  the  courts 
identified  with  Champaign  County  as  institutions,  and  the  personnel  of 
the  judges  which  have  given  them  so  enviable  a  standing.  Some  of  the 
early  leaders  of  the  bar  have  also  been  noticed  and  a  few  connected  with 
the  history  of  the  later  times.  Among  the  practitioners  of  note  whose 
names  have  not  fallen  naturally  into  the  course  of  the  narrative  are  the 
following : 

WTILLIAM    D.    SOMERS,    FlEST   RESIDENT   LAWYER 

William  D.  Somers,  of  Urbana,  was  the  first  resident  lawyer  to 
practice  in  Champaign  County,  and  because  of  his  practical  ability, 
eloquence,  scholarship  and  his  genius  for  imparting  his  knowledge  to 
others,  was  the  honored  preceptor  of  most  of  the  members  of  the  bar 
who  received  their  preliminary  training  in  the  county.  No  member  of 
the  profession  had  more  fast  friends  than  Mr.  Somers  throughout  the 
long  period  of  his  active  and  honorable  life.  Although  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  his  mother  during  his  youth,  resulting  in  the  dispersal 
of  the  family,  Mr.  Somers  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  received  into  the 
household  of  Major  Joe  Williams,  of  the  prominent  and  highly  edu- 
cated North  Carolina  family  of  that  name.  During  that  period  of 
seven  years  he  studied  medicine,  and  practiced  that  profession  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother  Winston  for  two  years  in  the  state  named.  In 
1840-46  they  continued  together,  as  practicing  physicians  at  Urbana, 
but  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  William  D.  Somers  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law  under  Judge  David  Davis  of  Bloomington. 

In  November,  1846,  Mr.  Somers  was  licensed  to  practice  law,  and  at 
once  commenced  active  work  in  that  field.  In  1855  he  was  appointed 
local  attorney  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  a  position  he  held  for 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  189 

many  years.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  the  township  of  Urbana 
as  supervisor  and  faithfully  cared  for  many  dependent  families  of 
soldiers  at  the  front.  He  acted  with  the  Whig  party  until  1859,  and 
thereafter  supported  the  Democracy,  although  some  of  his  most  stead- 
fast friends  were  Eepublicans.  In  the  days  of  his  legal  activity,  his 
power  with  a  jury  was  acknowledged  by  even  the  great  masters  in  that 
field.  He  was  associated  with  such  as  Abraham  Lincoln,  Leonard  Swett, 
0.  B.  Ficklin  and  other  distinguished  lawyers,  and  often  crossed  swords 
with  them  in  the  legal  arena  with  results  not  to  his  discredit.  His 
deep  knowledge  of  the  law  enabled  him  also  to  maintain  his  supremacy 
before  the  judges  as  well  as  before  the  juries.  Mr.  Somers  introduced 
Lincoln  to  the  first  audience  he  addressed  in  Champaign  County,  and 
was  on  intimate  terms  with  him  for  many  years.  During  the  later 
years  of  his  life  the  Nestor  of  the  county  bar  retired  from  active 
practice  to  the  charms  and  rest  of  his  host  of  friends,  both  human  and 
literary. 

COL.  W.  N.  COLER,  SECOND  LAWYER 

Colonel  William  N.  Coler  was  the  second  lawyer  to  locate  in  the 
county.  He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Urbana  Union,  the 
first  number  of  which  pioneer  newspaper  was  issued  in  September,  1852, 
and  he  started  the  Grand  Prairie  Bank,  the  first  institution  of  the  kind 
in  the  county,  and  which  failed  as  a  result  of  Secession.  Colonel  Coler 
earned  his  title  in  the  Civil  War,  and  about  seven  years  afterward 
moved  to  New  York  City,  where,  with  his  son,  the  well-known  Bird  N. 
Coler,  he  established  a  successful  bond-brokerage  business.  He  died  in 
1914.  Colonel  Coler  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  when  nineteen  years  of 
age  became  a  member  of  the  Second  Ohio  Kegiment  of  Volunteers  for 
service  in  the  Mexican  War,  returning  after  the  full  term  of  enlistment, 
three  years.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  his  old  commanding  officer, 
Colonel  G.  W.  Morgan,  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  under  Amzi  Me  Williams, 
the  prominent  Bloomington  lawyer.  He  came  to  Urbana  in  1852,  the 
year  after  his  admission  to  the  bar,  and  on  the  23d  of  September  of 
that  year,  with  H.  K.  Davis,  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Urbana 
Union.  Soon  afterward  he  commenced  the  active  practice  of  the  law, 
in  connection  largely  with  real  estate  transactions.  A  leading  Demo- 
crat, in  the  summer  of  1861  he  recruited  from  Champaign  and  adjoin- 
ing counties  the  Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he 
was  colonel  until  the  fall  of  1862,  when  he  resigned  and  resumed  bus- 
iness, with  headquarters  in  Champaign.  There  he  continued,  largely 


190  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business,  until  he  moved  to  New 
York  City  in  1872. 

JUSTICE  JAMES  S.  GERE 

James  S.  Gere,  who  came  to  Urbana  from  New  York  in  the  fall  of 
1836,  was  one  of  the  early  justices  of  the  peace,  holding  the  position 
for  many  years.  He  kept  the  old  Champaign  House  and  a  general  store 
in  the  Big  Grove  and  later  became  quite  an  extensive  contractor  in 
furnishing  ties  and  wood  to  the  Illinois  Central  and  other  railroads. 
Mr.  Gere  died  in  1858. 

JAMES  W.  SOMERS 

James  W.  Somers,  son  of  Dr.  Winston  Somers,  was  ten  years  of  age 
when  his  father  and  uncle  moved  from  North  Carolina  to  Urbana  to 
engage  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  was  a  pupil  of  the  eccentric 
Samuel  C.  Crane,  the  pioneer  teacher  of  that  place,  and  in  his  youth 
attended  what  is  now  De  Pauw  University  at  Greencastle,  Indiana. 
About  1854  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Judge 
William  D.  Somers,  continuing  his  classical  and  literary  studies  under 
the  direction  of  Eev.  Dr.  Janes,  a  local  educator.  After  a  course  at 
the  Union  College  of  Law,  Chicago,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856 
and  became  the  junior  partner  in  the  firm  W.  D.  &  J.  W.  Somers. 
Judge  Somers  gave  it  a  solid  standing  from  the  first  and  the  younger 
attorney  soon  increased  its  reputation.  He  was  a  ready  and  forceful 
writer,  as  is  attested  by  the  early  issues  of  the  Urbana  Union,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  founders  of  the  Eepublican  party  in  Cham- 
paign County.  He  filled  the  position  of  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
county  central  committee  of  the  young  party  for  several  years,  and  his 
services  were  often  utilized  in  the  various  campaigns  which  agitated  the 
county  and  the  state.  A  growing  deafness,  however,  blocked  many  of 
his  ambitions,  and  in  1861  he  accepted  an  appointment  from  President 
Lincoln  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  He  afterward  occupied  a 
position  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Eeview  in  the  Pension  Office,  and 
for  more  than  thirty  years  was  in  continuous  official  service  at  Wash- 
ington. In  view  of  such  length  of  service,  his  scholarly  attainments  and 
engaging  personality,  he  became  a  well  known  figure  in  the  national 
capital.  Neither  did  he  ever  forget  Champaign  County  and  his  many 
'friends  therein,  and  during  the  lifetime  of  his  parents  his  visits  to  his 
old  home  were  frequent.  For  a  few  years  preceding  his  death  he  resided 
in  California.  His  life  was  cut  off  by  an  accident  at  Hollywood,  a 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  191 

suburb  of  Los  Angeles.    As  he  was  returning  to  his  home  in  that  city, 
June  6,  1904,  he  was  run  over  and  killed  by  an  electric  car. 

Henry  C.  Whitney,  author  of  "Life  on  the  Circuit  with  Lincoln," 
thus  refers  to  Mr.  Somers:  "The  most  promising  orator  on  our  circuit 
of  the  young  men  was  James  W.  Somers  of  Urbana.  Of  an  engaging 
personality,  debonair  and  suaviter  in  modo,  and  bold  and  trenchant  in 
debate,  he  joined  to  accurate  and  exhaustive  knowledge  of  current  poli- 
tics an  exuberant  imagination,  which  rendered  him  one  of  the  most 
captivating  political  speakers  in  the  ranks  of  the  young  men.  Originally 
designed  for  the  law,  he  would  have  taken  rank  with  the  foremost  jury 
advocates,  but  for  an  impairment  of  hearing,  which  led  him  to  accept 
a  position  under  his  friend  Lincoln's  administration;  and  he  has  con- 
tinued in  the  public  service  since,  a  credit  to  himself  and  his  highly 
influential  family — his  legal  education  peculiarly  fitting  him  for  his 
duties,  which  are  of  a  high  and  quasi-judicial  character." 

HENRY  C.  WHITNEY 

The  first  lawyer  to  locate  at  West  Urbana  was  Henry  C.  Whitney, 
who  moved  thither  from  Urbana  in  1855.  His  father,  Alfred  M.  Whit- 
ney, built  a  residence  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Market  and  Main 
streets,  and  upon  the  same  lot  built  an  office,  which  was  occupied  by 
the  two.  Major  Whitney  is  widely  known  as  the  author  of  that  graph- 
ically written  and  valuable  book,  "Life  on  the  Circuit  with  Lincoln," 
his  relations  with  that  great  man  being  especially  friendly. 

JAMES  B.  McKiNLEY 

James  B.  McKinley  and  James  S.  Jones  were  the  next  of  the  pro- 
fession to  locate  in  that  place,  and  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  there  as  active  and  leading  lawyers  and  business  men.  Mr.  Mc- 
Kinley, who  was  an  uncle  of  the  Illinois  Congressman,  W.  B.  McKinley, 
and  a  relative  of  the  famous  Ohio  family  which  has  given  a  President 
and  other  distinguished  citizens  to  the  nation,  spent  his  earlier  years 
in  his  native  county  of  Ross,  Ohio.  While  teaching  in  the  neighboi 
hood  of  Hennepin,  Illinois,  he  began  reading  law  and  finished  his  pro- 
fessional studies  at  Petersburg,  where  Lincoln  was  at  that  time  well 
known.  He  practiced  at  Clinton  for  several  years,  and  during  his  earlier 
life  had  frequently  associated  with  him,  David  Davis  and  other  noted 
members  of  the  state  bar.  For  some  years  he  was  in  partnership  with 
the  late  Judge  Lawrence  Weldon,  afterward  a  member  of  the  United 


192  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

States  Court  of  Claims  in  Washington.  Mr.  McKinley  was  in  general 
practice  at  Champaign  in  1857-60,  but  afterward,  until  his  death,  Octo- 
ber 23,  1903,  engaged  in  the  loaning  of  money  to  Illinois  farmers  and  in 
general  banking  business  during  the  later  portion  of  that  period  in 
partnership  with  his  nephew,  William  B.  McKinley.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Champaign  National  Bank,  at  one  time  mayor  of 
the  city,  and  an  honorable  citizen  of  fine  financial  and  executive  ability. 

S.  B.  RADEBAUGH 

S.  Barclay  Radebaugh  was  another  of  Judge  Somers'  "boys."  He 
came  to  Urbana  with  his  parents  in  1861,  during  the  Civil  War  was 
connected  with  the  office  of  Capt.  William  Fithian,  provost  marshal  of 
Danville,  and  did  not  resume  his  law  studies  until  1864.  He  then 
studied  in  the  office  of  William  D.  Somers  until  his  admission  to  the 
bar  in  1865.  Mr.  Radebaugh  practiced  successfully  for  twenty  years, 
during  which  he  served  as  city  attorney  of  Urbana  for  five  terms,  and 
was  appointed  postmaster  in  August,  1885.  He  was  a  Democrat  and 
continued  in  office  during  the  Cleveland  administration. 

GEORGE  W.  GERE 

George  W.  Gere,  son  of  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  Urbana,  was 
a  lawyer  of  a  comparatively  late  period.  Five  years  after  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  University  of  Chicago  Law  School,  in  1870,  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  General  John  C.  Black,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Black  &  Gere,  and  opened  an  office  at  Champaign.  Five  years  later 
General  Black  moved  to  Danville,  and  Mr.  Gere  was  afterward  asso- 
ciated with  Henry  M.  Beardsley  and  Solon  Philbrick.  He  died  June 
15,  1911. 

JOHN  C.  BLACK 

General  Black,  who  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  in  his  nineteenth 
year  and  reached  the  rank  of  brevet  brigadier-general  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six,  practiced  in  Vermilion  and  Champaign  counties  for  twenty 
years.  In  1885  he  was  appointed  commissioner  of  pensions,  serving 
until  1889,  when  he  moved  to  Chicago.  He  became  head  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  was  president  of  the  United  States  Civil  Service 
Commission,  and  one  of  the  strong  characters  of  the  nation.  He  died 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  193 

August  17,  1915,  and  it  is  with  pride  that  this  history  claims  even  a 
short  identification  with  the  life  lines  of  General  John  C.  Black. 

MILTON  W.  MATHEWS 

Milton  W.  Mathews  made  a  fine  record  as  a  lawyer,  a  state  legislator 
and  an  editor.  While  studying  law  at  Champaign  he  taught  school  for 
a  time,  and  in  1867  located  in  Urbana,  where  he  continued  his  profes- 
sional training  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  August  of  that  year. 
G.  W.  Gere  was  his  preceptor,  with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership  which 
lasted  for  two  years.  Thereafter  Mr.  Mathews  practiced  alone  and 
became  a  leader  of  the  central  Illinois  bar.  Besides  gaining  distinction 
in  his  private  work,  he  made  a  signal  official  record  by  his  service  of 
nine  years  as  master  in  chancery  of  the  Circuit  Court  and  eight  years 
as  state's  attorney  of  Champaign  County.  In  1888  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  state  Senate,  and  during  the  session  of  1891  was  presi- 
dent pro  tern,  of  that  body.  As  a  presiding  officer  and  legislator  he  was 
vigorous,  decisive  and  eloquent.  During  this  period  of  his  career  Gov- 
ernor Fifer  appointed  him  a  member  of  his  military  staff,  with  the 
rank  of  colonel.  In  1879,  Colonel  Mathews  purchased  the  Champaign 
County  Herald,  of  which  he  continued  as  owner  and  editor  until  his 
death  May  10,  1892.  He  was  twice  president  of  the  Illinois  State  Press 
Association,  and  for  many  years  was  a  Republican  leader.  He  was  iden- 
tified with  the  banking  interests  of  Urbana,  for  many  years  was  a  lead- 
ing fraternalist,  and  in  every  way  an  inspiring  influence. 

ROBERT  C.  WRIGHT 

Robert  C.  Wright  came  from  Indiana  with  his  parents  when  he  was 
an  infant,  in  1830,  the  family  settling  northeast  of  Homer  in  the  edge 
of  Vermilion  County.  When  a  boy  he  made  his  home  with  his  uncle, 
David  C.  Wright,  in  Champaign  County.  While  obtaining  his  educa- 
tion he  taught  school,  and  had  acquired  considerable  political  standing 
in  the  county  before  he  was  admitted  to  practice.  The  Republicans 
elected  him  sheriff  in  1860;  he  held  the  office  for  the  term  of  two  years; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1863;  in  1870  was  chosen  to  represent  his 
district  in  the  Legislature,  and  thereafter,  for  twenty  years,  was  a  leader 
both  at  the  bar  and  in  politics.  Mr.  Wright  was  elected  state's  attorney 
of  Champaign  County  in  1892,  and  his  four  years'  tenure  of  office  was 
marked  by  a  vigorous  and  successful  prosecution  of  criminals,  and  gen- 
eral efficiency  in  his  department  of  the  county  government. 

1—13 


194  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

COLONEL  JOHN  S.  WOLFB 

One  of  the  most  original  and  noteworthy  men  who  ever  practiced  law 
in  Champaign  County  was  Colonel  John  S.  Wolfe,  who  came  from  Car- 
linville  in  1860,  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Champaign.  He  had  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1859,  and  he  practiced  in  the  courts  of  Cham- 
paign County  continuously,  except  for  the  time  spent  in  the  military 
service  during  the  Civil  War,  until  his  death  at  his  home  in  Champaign, 
June  23,  1904.  Colonel  Wolfe  was  a  man  of  excellent  literary  taste  and 
studious  habit.  He  was  a  wise  counselor,  an  able  advocate,  a  good 
speaker,  and  a  first-class  citizen. 

WILLIAM  B.  WEBBER 

During  the  active  years  of  his  practice  and  his  service  as  a  public 
man,  William  B.  Webber  was  of  particular  prominence  as  a  direct  link 
of  connection  between  the  founders  of  the  county  and  the  early  forma- 
tion of  its  bar,  with  the  government  and  the  profession  of  the  present. 
His  father,  Thomson  R.  Webber,  whose  official  duties  in  county  service 
were,  as  a  whole,  of  more  importance  and  covered  a  longer  period  than 
those  of  any  other  one  man  and,  as  a  member  of  two  constitutional  con- 
ventions, also  was  a  real  force  in  the  consolidation  of  the  state  govern- 
ment, died  at  his  home  in  Urbana,  as  a  most  honored  citizen,  in  1881. 
Nearly  twenty  years  before,  the  son  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  after 
having  enjoyed  the  professional  guidance  of  Judge  William  D.  Somers, 
and  was  associated  both  with  his  preceptor  and  with  the  late  Judge 
J.  0.  Cunningham.  In  1884,  he  was  elected  to  the  Thirty-fourth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  attained  much  prominence  in  connection  with  the 
drainage  laws  of  the  state,  which  he  initiated  and  formed  into  a  system 
of  vast  importance  to  the  farmers  of  Illinois.  He  served  as  chairman 
of  the  House  Drainage  Committee  and  was  also  at  the  head  of  the  com- 
mittee which  directed  the  legislation  through  both  houses  of  the  Legis- 
lature. Mr.  Webber  revised  what  was  known  as  the  Drainage  and  Levee 
Act,  drafted  the  new  bill  and  secured  its  passage;  also  reported  to  the 
House  and  secured  the  passage  of  the  Farm  Drainage  Act,  which  origin- 
ated in  the  Senate.  He  was  also  an  influential  friend  of  the  University 
of  Illinois,  securing  for  that  institution  a  large  appropriation  and  being 
instrumental  in  eliminating  its  old  name — Illinois  Industrial  Univer- 
sity— which  no  longer  described  the  grandeur  of  its  scope.  He  died  at 
his  home  in  Urbana,  September  8,  1916. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  195 


THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION 

The  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Champaign  County  have  always 
maintained  high  rank;  those  of  the  early  days  faithful  and  cheerful  in 
the  midst  of  their  long  and  difficult  journeys  and  crude  appliances,  and 
those  of  later  period  well  educated,  ethica.1  and  progressive.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  what  was  often  required  of  the  old-time  country  doctor,  it  is 
related  that  Winston  Somers,  the  pioneer  physician,  was  compelled  to 
amputate  a  limb  at  once  to  save  the  life  of  a  patient,  and  that  in  lieu 
of  the  proper  surgical  instrument,  used  a  common  hand  saw;  yet  the 
operation  was  a  success. 

CHOLERA  EPIDEMIC  OF  1834 

But  the  first  physicians  of  the  county  appeared  almost  simultaneously 
with  the  Asiatic  cholera  at  Big  Grove,  in  1834.  The  scourge,  which  had 
broken  out  among  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Dearborn  two  years  before,  had 
spread  terror  in  the  minds  of  settlers  in  the  interior,  especially  those 
who  had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  Chicago  district  for  family 
supplies.  The  pioneers  of  Champaign  County  were  therefore  panic- 
stricken  when  cholera  appeared  in  the  family  of  James  Moss,  near  the 
north  end  of  the  Big  Grove,  and  within  a  few  days  took  the  father  and 
three  of  his  children.  Mary  Heater,  the  mother  of  Jacob,  and  the  wife 
of  James  Johnson,  with  two  of  her  children,  also  were  victims.  Others 
fell  before  the  plague,  although  its  ravages  were  not  as  severe  as  in  more 
settled  districts. 

DR.  T.  FULKERSON,  FIRST  RESIDENT  PHYSICIAN 

At  the  time  of  the  first  visitation  of  cholera  to  Champaign  County, 
the  only  resident  physicians  within  its  limits  were  Dr.  T.  Fulkerson  and 
Dr.  James  H.  Lyon.  Dr.  Fulkerson,  rather  an  irresponsible  unmarried 
man  who  boarded  at  the  Widow  Coe's  not  far  from  the  Moss  family, 
had  been  practicing  in  the  Big  Grove  region  since  1830,  and  is  generally 
recorded  as  the  first  of  his  profession  to  appear  in  the  county.  He 
remained  but  a  short  time,  and  is  chiefly  known  to  fame  and  authentic 
history  as  defendant  in  a  suit  brought  by  the  county  authorities  to  col- 
lect $2  in  default  of  work  upon  the  public  road.  He  paid  the  judgment 
obtained,  as  the  records  show,  and  is  believed  to  have  left  the  county 
soon  after. 


196  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

DR.  JAMES  H.  LYON 

Dr.  Lyon,  who  came  a  little  later  than  Dr.  Fulkerson,  made  his 
home  with  Mijamin  Byers,  the  justice  of  the  peace,  who  lived  two  miles 
east  of  Urbana.  He  remained  at  the  Big  Grove  but  a  short  time,  but 
made  his  permanent  home  at  what  was  then  known  as  Nox's  Point.  In 
1837,  he  became  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Sidney,  where 
he  raised  a  family  and  reached  prominence,  both  as  a  physician  and  a 
public  man. 

VICTIMS  OF  MIASMA 

But  the  permanent  scourge  of  the  pioneers  of  Champaign  County, 
which  mowed  down  its  victims,  young  and  old,  for  a  period  of  fifty 
years,  was  represented  by  the  miasmatic  diseases,  caused  largely  by 
undrained  sloughs  and  swamp  lands.  These  troubles  largely  disappeared 
with  systematic  drainage  and  greater  care  as  to  public  sanitation  and 
personal  hygiene.  Among  the  early  settlers  who  died  of  this  class  of 
diseases  were  James  Brownfield,  father  of  Robert  and  Samuel;  Mrs. 
Isaac  Busey  and  her  son  John;  Nicholas  Smith,  father  of  Jacob;  Wil- 
liam Boyd,  father  of  Stephen;  David  Shepherd,  father  of  Paris;  John 
Brownfield,  father  of  John,  and  William  T.  Webber,  father  of  the  old- 
time  County  and  Circuit  Court  clerk,  and  ancestor  of  the  large  family 
by  that  name. 

DRS.  HARMON  STEVENS  AND  JOHN  G.  SADDLER 

The  next  physicians  to  locate  in  Champaign  County,  after  Drs.  Ful- 
kerson and  Lyon,  were  Dr.  Harmon  Stevens,  who  settled  near  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Homer  in  1835,  and  Dr.  John  G.  Saddler,  who  was  the 
first  of  his  profession  to  become  a  resident  of  Urbana,  which  he  did  in 
1839.  Dr.  Saddler  remained  at  the  county  seat  but  a  few  years,  while 
Dr.  Stevens,  after  the  establishment  of  the  village  of  Homer,  moved  to 
that  place  and  practiced  for  many  years.  When  quite  aged  and  virtually 
retired,  he  moved  to  Saline  County,  Illinois,  where  he  passed  the  last 
years  of  his  useful  life. 

DR.  WINSTON  SOMERS 

The  Somers  brothers,  Drs.  Winston  and  William  D.,  as  has  been 
noted,  settled  in  Urbana  the  year  following  Dr.  Saddler's  coming,  and 
were  well  established  before  he  departed.  About  1846  Dr.  William  D. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  197 

Somers  abandoned  medicine  for  the  law,  and  became  the  leader  of  the 
Champaign  County  bar,  as  Dr.  Winston  stood  at  the  head  of  his  pro- 
fession for  many  years.  His  clientele  was  scattered  over  much  of  Cham- 
paign County,  extending  to  the  Sangamon,  Okaw,  Ambraw  and  Salt 
Fork  timbers,  and  even  as  far  as  the  Middle  Fork.  His  long  journeys, 
through  swamps  and  forests,  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  were  made  on 
horseback  when  his  trips  were  through  sections  which  were  virtually 
roadless.  In  such  cases  his  saddle  bags  were  thrown  across  his  wise  and 
faithful  horse,  and  contained  the  most  commonly  used  medicines  and 
surgical  instruments,  never  forgetting  what  was  then  considered  the 
indispensable  blood-letting  lancet.  In  the  bags  were  also  stowed  a  gen- 
erous supply  of  quinine  and  calomel. 

DR.  WILLIAM  A.  CONKEY 

Dr.  William  A.  Conkey  became  a  resident  physician  of  Old  Homer 
in  1843.  His  journey  from  Massachusetts  with  other  members  of  the 
family,  when  a  boy,  has  been  narrated.  The  Conkey  family  was  reared 
on  the  Edgar  County  farm,  and  William  A.  graduated  from  a  medical 
college  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  a  short  time  previous  to  locating  at 
Homer.  There  he  practiced  for  a  number  of  years,  as  well  as  at  Eugene, 
Indiana,  but  finally  abandoned  the  profession  for  merchandising  and 
farming.  He  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  the  balance  of 
his  active  life,  and  about  1900  turned  his  farm  over  to  one  of  his  sons, 
moving  to  the  village  of  Homer.  Dr.  Conkey  was  a  leading  Republican 
of  the  county,  and  served  for  many  terms  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  supervisors.  He  was  also  a  prominent  Mason.  There  were  seven  chil- 
dren in  his  family  who  were  reared  to  maturity,  of  whom  Frank  M. 
adopted  the  near  relative  of  the  profession  of  the  father,  and  is  a  lead- 
ing dentist  and  citizen  of  Homer. 

DR.  PHILIP  C.  MOSIER 

Dr.  Philip  C.  Mosier  was  a  pioneer  physician  of  Homer,  who  had  a 
large  practice  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  over  the  line  into 
Vermilion.  He  was  an  Indiana  man.  Dr.  Mosier  worked  hard  for  his 
education,  and  after  studying  under  private  tutors  and  taking  several 
side  courses  at  the  Western  Agricultural  College,  he  taught  school  for 
some  time  in  order  to  complete  the  purchase  of  his  doctor's  outfit.  He 
was  paid  a  dollar  a  day  for  his  pedagogic  services,  out  of  which  he 
might  board  himself  or  "board  'round."  The  prices  of  books  and  medi- 


198 


HISTOBY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY 


cines  were  then  high.  Quinine  was  $5  an  ounce  and  opium  $8  a  pound. 
But  the  young  man  finally  supplied  himself  with  a  workable  outfit,  and 
after  practicing  for  a  time  in  Indiana  came  to  Old  Homer  in  April, 
1851.  At  that  time  the  section  of  which  that  place  was  the  center  was 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  sickly  portions  of  the  state.  Fever  and 
ague  and  other  malarial  diseases  generally  prevailed,  and  from  the  time 
of  his  coming  Dr.  Hosier  was  busy  night  and  day  in  fighting  them.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  years  his  own  health  was  so  seriously  undermined 
that  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  practice  and  retire  to  the  farm  which 
he  had  purchased  about  two  miles  south  of  Homer.  There,  engaged  in 
farming,  land  dealings  and  other  work  more  healthful  and  less  arduous, 
and  devoting  a  portion  of  his  time  to  the  public  affairs  of  the  county, 
Dr.  Mosier  regained  his  health,  accumulated  much  valuable  property, 
and  covered  the  span  of  life  fairly  due  to  one  of  his  natural  vigor  and 
vitality. 


DR.  JOSEPH  T.  MII.I.ER 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  199 

PIONEERS  AT  URBANA  AND  WEST  URBANA 

The  early  '50s  also  witnessed  quite  an  accession  to  the  ranks  of  the 
profession  at  Urbana  and  Champaign  (West  Urbana),  although  the  lat- 
ter was  not  incorporated  as  a  village  until  1857.  Dr.  Joseph  T.  Miller 
arrived  in  Urbana  in  1853,  and  practiced  there  for  more  than  half  a 
century,  being  long  its  veteran  physician  and  surgeon;  also  with  no 
rival  in  the  county  in  length  of  continuous  service.  Dr.  James  Hollis- 
ter  also  located  at  the  county  seat  in  1853,  but  remained  only  a  few 
years.  Dr.  Hartwell  C.  Howard  and  Dr.  Shoemaker  were  the  pioneer 
physicians  of  West  Urbana,  settling  there  in  1854.  In  that  year  Dr. 
C.  H.  Mills  came  to  Urbana,  but  in  1856  joined  the  little  professional 
colony  at  West  Urbana. 

Dr.  Howard  was  a  very  enterprising  man  outside  his  profession, 
being  one  of  the  founders  of  a  steam  flouring  mill  at  Champaign,  the 
only  structure  of  the  kind  ever  erected  in  the  township.  His  first  pro- 
fessional card  appears  in  a  local  paper  of  April  10,  1856,  about  a  year 
before  West  Urbana  was  incorporated  as  a  village.  He  retired  from 
regular  practice  about  1906. 

EEADY  FOR  THE  CHOLERA  EPIDEMIC  OF  1854 

By  1854,  therefore,  when  cholera  again  made  its  appearance  in  Cham- 
paign County,  there  were  a  number  of  capable  physicians  to  combat  the 
plague  and  compose  the  minds  of  residents  who  would  otherwise  be 
thrown  into  a  condition  of  terror  considered  most  favorable  for  the 
planting  of  its  seeds.  As  was  the  case  twenty  years  before,  the  epidemic 
was  imported  from  Chicago,  and  ran  like  wildfire  along  the  lines  of 
railroad  laborers  then  laying  the  rails  for  the  Illinois  Central  road. 
Most  of  the  fatalities  were  in  the  Urbana  neighborhood,  but  although 
more  died  in  the  county  than  at  the  first  visitation,  because  the  popu- 
lation was  far  greater,  the  panic  was  not  so  great,  since  the  medical 
fraternity  and  intelligent  people  everywhere  had  been  learning  more  of 
the  nature  of  the  disease  and  of  the  fairly  efficacious  measures  for  its 
prevention  and  cure. 

THE  WIPING  OUT  OF  A  FAMILY 

Most  of  the  deaths  which  occurred  in  1854  were  of  foreign  laborers, 
exposed  to  the  inclemencies  of  a  late  fall,  unable  to  obtain  medical  assist- 
ance, and  doubly  racked  with  terror  and  the  natural  agonies  of  the  dis- 
ease. An  illustration  of  the  havoc  not  infrequently  caused  among  this 
class  of  unfortunates  is  given  by  a  county  paper  of  that  period.  "A 


200  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

family  of  Prussians,"  it  says,  "consisting  of  the  father,  mother,  several 
children  and  an  aged  woman,  the  mother  of  the  wife,  came  down  from 
Chicago  on  a  passenger  train  as  far  as  it  then  ran,  and  were  set  out 
on  the  open  prairie,  about  where  the  village  of  Ludlow  now  stands.  No 
shelter  was  afforded  them.  Their  destination  was  Danville,  where  they 
hoped  to  find  friends  in  the  family  of  a  brother  of  the  husband.  A 
hack,  from  the  termination  of  the  run  of  the  passenger  trains,  was  then 
making  trips  to  Urbana,  but  did  not  afford  facilities  for  the  transpor- 
tation of  the  family  and  their  belongings.  Money  was  sent  by  the  father 
to  Urbana  by  the  driver  to  employ  a  wagon  to  carry  them  forward.  The 
next  day  it  was  returned  with  the  information  that  no  wagon  could  be 
had  for  that  purpose.  In  the  meantime,  several  members  of  the  family, 
including  the  aged  mother,  were  attacked  by  the  cholera  then  prevailing 
along  the  line  of  the  railroad  and  among  the  men  employed  in  its  con- 
struction. The  father,  in  default  of  aid  from  Urbana,  from  informa- 
tion received  of  the  direction  of  Danville,  with  two  of  his  little  boys, 
set  out  for  that  place,  hoping  to  reach  Pilot  Grove,  the  nearest  settle- 
ment in  the  direction  of  Danville,  the  first  night.  In  this  he  was  dis- 
appointed, and  stayed  upon  the  prairie  all  night.  The  youngest  boy 
with  him  was  attacked  during  the  night  and  died  of  cholera.  The  sur- 
viving boy  was  left  in  charge  of  the  corpse,  while  the  father  proceeded 
to  the  settlement  for  assistance.  All  day  he  watched  at  the  side  of  his 
dead  brother  and  for  the  return  of  his  father.  Near  nightfall,  getting 
no  tidings  from  his  absent  father,  the  boy  went  in  search  of  assistance 
and  found  the  house  of  a  solitary  farmer  to  whom  by  the  aid  of  signs 
and  the  little  of  the  English  he  had  learned,  he  told  of  the  misfortunes 
of  the  family.  The  good  people  into  whose  hands  the  lad  had  fallen, 
after  having  given  sepulchre  as  best  they  could  to  the  body  of  the  little 
brother  who  had  died  on  the  prairie,  sent  a  messenger  to  Danville  to 
inform  the  friends  of  the  family  of  their  misfortunes  and  need  of  assist- 
ance, set  about  finding  the  missing  father.  Soon  all — the  sick  and  dying 
— were  loaded  into  the  wagon  and  started  for  Danville,  across  the  great 
stretch  of  prairie  intervening.  On  the  road  the  aged  mother  died  and 
one  child — a  little  girl — and  were  informally  buried  out  on  the  prairie, 
as  had  been  the  other  members  of  the  family.  Upon  reaching  Danville 
the  mother  also  died,  as  did  the  brother  who  had  rescued  them." 

DR.  CHARLES  A.  HUNT 

Dr.  Charles  A.  Hunt,  who  was  educated  both  under  private  tutorship 
and  at  the  Ohio  College  of  Medicine,  Cincinnati,  completed  his  medical 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  201 

course  in  1845,  and  practiced  his  profession  in  Indiana  and  Illinois 
until  he  settled  at  Urbana  in  1855.  There  he  continued  in  the  drug 
business  until  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War,  although  during  that  period 
he  was  incessantly  reading  and  writing  upon  medical,  surgical,  scientific 
and  political  topics.  After  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter,  as  soon  as  he 
could  arrange  his  business  and  personal  affairs,  he  joined  the  Union 
service  as  surgeon  of  the  126th  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  a  faithful  and  able  officer.  At  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  the  regi- 
mental hospital  in  his  charge  was  located  at  Haines  Bluff,  on  the  Yazoo, 
a  renowned  breeder  of  miasmic  disorders,  and  where  he  spent  the  sum- 
mer of  1863  in  the  discharge  of  his  medical  and  surgical  duties.  He 
broke  under  the  strain  and  unhealthful  conditions  and  was  taken  north 
to  the  general  hospital  at  Mound  City,  where  he  expired  August  2,  1863, 
only  a  few  hours  after  the  arrival  of  his  wife  who,  upon  hearing  of  his 
illness,  had  hurried  to  his  side.  The  widow  survived  him  for  about 
fifty  years. 

DR.  SAMUEL  W.  KINCAID 

Dr.  Samuel  W.  Kincaid,  of  an  Ohio  family  widely  known  in  the 
profession  and  in  politics,  was  graduated  from  the  Medical  College  of 
Ohio  in  1853,  practiced  for  the  succeeding  two  years  at  Tolono,  and  in 
1855  established  himself  at  Champaign,  then  West  Urbana.  Dr.  Kincaid 
was  accomplished  and  genial,  public-spirited  and  popular.  He  was  an 
early  member  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  of  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Champaign  County 
Medical  Society.  After  many  years  of  active  practice  at  Champaign  he 
returned  to  Adams  County,  Ohio,  and  died  near  his  birthplace  in  West 
Union. 

DR.  HERMAN  CHAFFEE 

Dr.  Herman  Chaffee,  who  was  educated  at  Albany  Medical  College 
and  at  Paris,  France,  entered  upon  his  long  and  honorable  practice  at 
Tolono  in  April,  1857.  He  was  the  first  physician,  as  well  as  the  first 
postmaster  of  the  village,  and  was  a  leader  in  all  public  improvements. 
Dr.  Chaffee's  death  occurred  May  22,  1890,  and  his  widow  survived  him 
for  some  twenty  years. 

OTHER  MEMBERS  OF  THE  PROFESSION 

Then  there  were  Dr.  Myron  S.  Brown,  who  settled  permanently  at 
Urbana  in  1858,  in  1860  attended  his  first  course  of  lectures  in  Chicago, 


202  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

entered  the  Union  army  as  assistant  surgeon  and  concluded  his  service 
as  a  division  surgeon,  was  then  a  practicing  physician  at  Urbana  for 
several  years,  as  well  as  at  Danville,  where  he  died  in  1900 ;  Dr.  James  M. 
Bartholow,  who  settled  at  Philo  in  1869  and  afterward  moved  to  Urbana, 
and  Dr.  Thomas  N.  Burwash,  who,  in  1878,  commenced  the  practice  at 
Plainview  and  afterward  settled  at  Champaign. 

MEN  OF  A  LATER  DATE 

Among  these  may  be  named  Drs.  J.  T.  Fugate,  S.  H.  Birney,  M.  S. 
Brown,  M.  Lindley  of  Urbana;  Drs.  J.  T.  Pearman,  E.  A.  Kratz,  S.  K. 
Page,  J.  W.  Seroggs  of  Champaign;  and  Drs.  J.  G.  Chambers,  T.  M. 
Hess,  Homer  Shaw,  A.  T.  Darran,  James  Core,  A.  Catron,  G.  W.  Hart- 
man,  David  Jennings  and  S.  S.  Salisbury,  all  in  various  parts  of  the 
county. 

Later  still  came  Drs.  A.  M.  Lindley,  W.  F.  Burress,  J.  M.  Bartholow. 
J.  S.  Mason,  E.  J.  Davis,  C.  D.  Gulick,  J.  J.  Hanmore,  H.  W.  Miller, 
0.  0.  Stanley,  E.  S.  Smith,  D.  E.  Yantis,  C.  L.  Vandorn  and  others 
of  Urbana;  Drs.  C.  Bennett,  C.  M.  Craig,  G.  E.  Cogswell,  C.  S.  Davis, 
J.  H.  Finch,  W.  L.  Gray,  W.  M.  Honn,  C.  B.  Johnson,  A.  D.  Kirby, 
H.  C.  Kariher,  Jennie  Lyons,  J.  D.  Mandeville,  T.  J.  McKinney,  Ellen 
Miner,  L.  C.  Miller,  W.  K.  Newcomb,  C.  F.  Newcomb,  J.  W.  Osborne, 
P.  S.  Replogle,  W.  F.  Seeker,  S.  W.  Shurtz,  C.  H.  Spears,  J.  L.  Polk, 
A.  S.  Wall,  H.  D.  Wilson,  L.  S.  Wilcox,  A.  L.  Zorger,  W.  H.  Zorger,  etc. 

Among  prominent  physicians  located  in  other  Champaign  County 
towns  may  be  named  J.  Brayshaw,  E.  M.  Brewer,  K.  W.  Bundy,  A.  J. 
Dalton,  T.  A.  Dicks,  F.  S.  Diller,  R.  P.  Dowd,  T.  J.  Exton,  J.  M. 
Hadden,  L.  E.  Hartrick,  J.  F.  Harris,  S.  J.  Hicks,  J.  M.  Lawson,  J.  E. 
Lowry,  John  Marten,  J.  T.  Miller,  J.  0.  Pearman,  G.  A.  Potter,  R.  P. 
Ratts,  C.  F.  Ryan,  L.  0.  Sale  and  A.  L.  Volborn. 

CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  MEDICAL  SOCIETY 

The  Champaign  County  Medical  Society  was  organized  in  March, 
1859,  and  has  been  a  continuous  and  prosperous  organization  ever  since. 
Today  it  is  one  of  the  largest  and  best  associations  of  its  kind  in  Illinois. 
Save  in  July  and  August,  this  society  holds  monthly  meetings  through- 
out the  year.  At  the  sessions  the  latest  discoveries  in  medicine  are 
reported  and  the  best  approved  means  and  methods  for  handling  diseased 
conditions  reviewed  and  discussed. 

Among  those  present  at  the  first  meeting,  held  March  4,  1859, 
according  to  our  advisory  editor,  Dr.  Charles  B.  Johnson  of  Champaign 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  203 

(to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  most  of  the  information  which  follows), 
were  Drs.  H.  C.  Howard  and  C.  H.  Mills  of  that  city,  and  Dr.  Joseph  T. 
Miller  of  Urbana.  In  1860  the  society  published  in  pamphlet  form  its 
constitution,  with  the  code  of  ethics  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, which  is  still  the  law  and  gospel  of  the  profession.  Dr.  A.  E. 
Kratz  has  a  copy  of  that  precious  publication.  It  is  therein  stated  that 
the  objects  of  the  new  organization  are:  (a)  "The  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  union,  harmony  and  good  government  among  its  mem- 
bers, thereby  promoting  the  character,  interest,  honor  and  usefulness 
of  the  profession,"  and  (b)  "the  cultivation  and  advancement  of  medical 
science  and  literature  by  the  collection,  diffusion,  interchange,  preserva- 
tion and  general  circulation  of  medical  knowledge  among  its  members." 

The  pioneer  members  of  the  society  (names  first  published  in  1860) 
were:  S.  L.  Bearse,  Eobert  H.  Brown,  A.  Jackson  Crane,  William  M. 
Goodwin,  H.  C.  Howard,  John  P.  Isom,  S.  W.  Kincaid,  J.  T.  Miller, 
C.  H.  Mills,  Samuel  K.  Page,  Winston  Somers,  John  Swain,  M.  B. 
Thompson,  C.  A.  Thompson. 

Dr.  Johnson,  so  long  its  secretary,  gives  the  following  history  of  the 
society : 

"With  the  history  of  the  Champaign  County  Medical  Society  during 
the  first  fifteen  years  of  its  existence  the  writer  knows  nothing  only 
what  he  has  gleaned  from  its  records  and  conversation  with  the  pioneer 
members.  But  of  its  work  since  he  can  speak  with  some  authority; 
for  more  than  forty  years  he  has  had  the  privilege  of  being  one  of  its 
members,  and  for  about  ten  years  served  as  its  secretary.  Some  one  has 
said  that  the  secretary  of  a  medical  society  is  the  society.  This  is  strong 
language,  nevertheless  a  secretary  has  very  much  to  do  in  making  a 
medical  society  a  success  or  the  reverse. 

"In  1874,  Dr.  M.  S.  Brown  was  secretary  of  the  society  and  did  his 
work  especially  well.  In  a  year  or  two  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  L.  S. 
Wilcox,  who  filled  the  place  acceptably  for  several  years.  The  last  half 
of  the  '70s  was  a  most  prosperous  period  for  the  society  and  the  men 
who  at  that  time  might  be  referred  to  as  its  pillars  were  Drs.  William  M. 
Goodwin,  M.  S.  Brown  and  S.  H.  Birney  of  Urbana;  Drs.  H.  C.  Howard 
and  J.  T.  Pearman  of  Champaign;  Dr.  A.  T.  Darrah  of  Tolono; 
Drs.  James  Core  and  T.  M.  Hess  of  Homer;  Dr.  G.  W.  Hartmau  of 
Sidney  and  Dr.  David  Jennings  of  St.  Joseph.  The  meetings  occurred 
monthly  and  the  society  was  'on  wheels,'  as  one  of  the  members  expressed 
it;  that  is,  meetings  were  held  at  various  towns  in  the  county.  Besides 
Champaign  and  Urbana,  it  met  in  Tolono,  Philo,  Sidney,  Homer,  Ran- 
toul,  etc.  At  most  of  these  meetings  some  hospitable  member  threw 


204  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

open  his  doors,  especially  the  one  that  led  to  the  dining  room,  where 
would  be  found  a  table  literally  groaning  under  its  weight  of  good  things 
from  which  every  doctor  was  expected  to  feast  heartily.  The  social 
features  of  these  meetings  added  not  a  little  to  the  attendance  and 
interest.  Frequently  three  sessions  were  held,  namely,  a  forenoon,  an 
afternoon  and  an  evening  session.  The  papers  read  were  carefully  pre- 
pared a'nd  never  failed  to  call  out  full  and  animated  discussions.  Almost 
to  a  man  the  older  members  of  the  society  were  at  this  time  good 
off-hand  talkers,  and  what  the  younger  members  may  have  lacked  in 
this  direction  they  sought  to,  in  a  measure,  make  up  by  preparing 
carefully  written  papers. 

"An  edition  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  published  at  this  period 
shows  a  list  of  twenty-three  members.  And  as  an  illustration  of  the 
mutations  of  time  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  of  these  twenty-three 
doctors  thirteen  are  dead,  three  have  moved  out  of  the  county,  and  one, 
strange  to  say,  has  grown  rich,  but  not  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  as 
many  years  ago  he  changed  his  calling.  He  is  today  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  on  an  extensive  scale  and  can  count  his  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills — 
corn  hills.  And  only  six  of  the  above  named  twenty-three  members  are 
left  in  Champaign  County  to  practice  medicine. 

"With  the  advent  of  the  '80s,  the  society  passed  into  a  period  when 
not  much  interest  was  taken  in  its  meetings.  Several  causes  conduced 
to  this  state  of  relative  apathy.  One  was  the  fact  that  several  of  the  old 
'wheel  horses,'  so  to  speak,  were  lost  to  the  society  by  death  or  removal 
from  the  county.  But  the  organization  was  faithfully  kept  up  and  not 
long  after  the  advent  of  the  '90s  the  society  received  a  new  impetus  and 
entered  upon  the  highly  prosperous  career  that  for  about  twenty  years 
past  it  has  been  enjoying.  One  reason  for  this  renewed  life  is  the  fact 
that  a  great  many  bright,  active,  new  men  have  come  into  the  county. 
The  meetings  of  the  Champaign  County  Medical  Society  occur  near  the 
middle  of  each  month,  are  well  attended  and  much  interest  is  mani- 
fested in  them  by  those  in  attendance.  Two  or  three  papers  are 
presented  at  each  session  and  these  unfailingly  draw  out  free  discus- 
sions." 

The  presidents,  vice-presidents  and  secretary-treasurers  of  the  society 
have  been  as  follows : 

Presidents— Dr.  A.  T.  Darrah,  1874;  Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman,  1875; 
T.  M.  Hess,  1876;  William  Goodwin,  1877;  C.  B.  Johnson,  1878;  H.  C. 
Howard,  1879;  Lyman  Hall,  1880;  L.  S.  Wilcox,  1881;  D.  R.  McKinney, 
1882;  S.  H.  Birney,  1883;  J.  D.  Mandeville,  1884;  A.  L.  Whitcomb, 
1885-87;  J.  C.  Harmon,  1888-89;  William  Dillon,  1890;  W.  K.  Newcomb, 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  205 

1891;  H.  E.  Gushing,  1892;  W.  J.  Fernald,  1893-94;  C.  B.  Johnson, 
1895;  J.  E.  White,  1896;  J.  A.  Hoffman,  1897;  W.  L.  Gray,  1898;  W.  F. 
Burres,  1899;  T.  J.  McKinney,  1900;  John  Laughlin,  1901;  A.  S.  Wall, 
1902;  J.  T.  Purcell,  1903;  S.  S.  Salisbury,  1904;  J.  M.  Bartholow,  1905; 
C.  M.  Craig,  1906;  J.  C.  Dodo's,  1907;  J.  S.  Mason,  1908;  W.  E.  Schoen- 
gerdt,  1909;  John  Marten,  1910;  William  Eees,  1911;  T.  E.  Walker, 
1912;  C.  D.  Gulick,  1913;  T.  J.  Exton,  1914;  F.  S.  Diller,  1915;  J.  H. 
Finch,  1916;  0.  0.  Stanley,  1917. 

Vice-Presidents— J.  T.  Pearman,  1874;  B.  D.  Keater,  1875;  C.  B. 
Johnson,  1877;  C.  W.  Allen,  1878;  J.  T.  Purcell,  1879;  J.  D.  Mande- 
ville,  1880;  C.  T.  Pope,  1881;  F.  W.  Prentice,  1882-83;  J.  B.  Clark, 
1884;  J.  T.  Pearman,  1885-88;  W.  K.  Newcomb,  1890;  H.  E.  Gushing, 
1891;  C.  N.  White,  1892;  Z.  L.  Whitmire,  1893-94;  J.  A.  Hoffman, 
1895;  S.  W.  Shurtz,  1896;  C.  M.  Craig,  1897;  W.  F.  Burres,  1898; 
J.  C.  Dodds,  1899;  John  Laughlin,  1900;  John  Marten,  1901;  Z.  E. 
Matheney,  1902;  S.  W.  Shurtz,  190?;  W.  L.  Gray,  1904;  C.  M.  Craig, 
1905;  John  Marten,  1906;  J.  S.  Mason,  1907;  W.  E.  Schoengerdt,  1908; 
F.  H.  Powers,  1909;  Ellen  Miner,  1910;  Lucy  Exton,  1911;  G.  W.  Rice, 
1912;  T.  J.  Exton,  1913;  H.  W.  Bundy,  1914;  D.  A.  Kirby,  1915;  L.  0. 
Sale,  1916;  H.  W.  Bundy,  1917. 

Secretary-Treasurers — M.  S.  Brown  and  J.  D.  Mandeville,  1874; 
S.  H.  Birney,  1875;  L.  S.  Wilcox,  1876;  L.  S.  Wilcox  and  J.  D.  Mande- 
ville, 1877;  M.  S.  Brown  and  J.  T.  Pearman,  1878;  M.  S.  Brown, 
1880-82;  C.  B.  Johnson,  1883-89;  C.  N.  White,  1890-91;  J.  E.  White, 
1892;  C.  B.  Johnson,  1893-94;  W.  L.  Gray,  1895-96;  Ellen  Miner,  1897; 
John  Laughlin,  1898;  J.  C.  Dodds,  1899;  John  Laughlin,  1900;  A.  S. 
Wall,  1901;  H.  E.  Gushing,  1902;  J.  S.  Mason,  1903-04;  C.  D.  Gulick, 
1905-07;  C..F.  Newcomb,  1908-09;  K  M.  Baker,  1910;  Jennie  Lyons, 
1911-12;  Jennie  Lyons  and  W.  V.  Seeker,  1913;  W.  V.  Seeker,  1914-16; 
J.  C.  Dallenbach,  1917. 

PIONEER  PHYSICIANS  BY  LOCALITIES 

In  1909  Dr.  Johnson  published  a  remarkably  interesting  history,  in 
commemoration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
society,  entitled  "Medicine  in  Champaign  County."  At  that  time 
Dr.  Joseph  T.  Miller  of  TJrbana  and  Dr.  Hartwell  C.  Howard  of  Cham- 
paign were  the  only  living  representatives  of  those  who  organized  the 
Champaign  County  Medical  Society  fifty  years  before.  Dr.  Miller  located 
at  the  county  seat  in  1853  and  Dr.  Howard  at  Champaign  in  1855. 

Among  other  complete  and  interesting  data  collected  by  the  author 


206  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

is  that  which  covers  the  dates  when  the  pioneer  physicians  of  the  county 
settled  at  the  various  towns,  villages  and  cities.  The  localities  are 
arranged  alphabetically,  and  speak  for  themselves : 

Bondville — This  village  had  its  origin  about  1870  and  was  named  in 
honor  of  L.  J.  Bond  of  Monticello,  an  officer  in  the  early  history  of 
the  railway  that  goes  through  the  town.  The  first  physician  to  locate 
in  Bondville  was  Dr.  0.  B.  Simmons,  who  came  there  in  the  '70s  and 
remained  until  1896. 

Broadlands— This  village  was  laid  out  in  1883,  but  in  1881  Dr.  W.  F. 
Burres  practiced  medicine  in  that  locality  and  had  his  office  at  the  Old 
Head  Quarters  House.  Dr.  Burres  moved  to  Sidney  in  1882. 

Champaign — The  first  physician  to  locate  in  Champaign  was 
Dr.  R.  W.  Schumacher,  brother-in-law  to  Judge  Calvin  C.  Staley. 
November  9,  1854,  Dr.  Schumacher  published  a  card  in  the  ITrbana 
Union  announcing  his  new  location.  Dr.  H.  C.  Howard  came  in  1855 ; 
also  Dr.  S.  W.  Kincaid,  who  remained  but  a  few  years.  A  little  later 
came  Drs.  J.  Hollister,  S.  K.  Page,  Joseph  Hagar,  C.  L.  Swain  and 
A.  J.  Crane.  Dr.  Page  continued  in  practice  till  advancing  years  com- 
pelled his  retirement  late  in  the  '70s.  Dr.  C.  H.  Mills  came  in  1856 
and  remained  until  his  death  in  1907.  Dr.  J.  T.  Pearman  located  in 
Champaign  in  1864  and  remained  in  active  practice  till  about  a  year 
and  a  half  before  his  death  in  May,  1896. 

Fisher — Dr.  James  G.  Elder  was  the  first  physician  in  this  place. 
Dr.  Joseph  Carr  was  the  next,  but  did  not  remain  long.  About  1880 
Dr.  A.  L.  Elder  practiced  there  for  a  time,  when  he  removed  to  Nebraska. 
Dr.  W.  K.  Newcomb  located  in  Fisher  and  continued  in  active  practice 
there  till  1896,  when  he  removed  to  Champaign. 

Foosland — The  first  physician  in  this  village  was  one  Dr.  Stephens, 
who,  about  1870,  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  H.  L.  Harris,  who  practiced 
there  for  a  number  of  years,  when  he  in  turn  was  followed  by  Dr.  A.  C. 
Albright.  In  1892  Dr.  J.  E.  Lowry  became  the  successor  to 
Dr.  Albright. 

Gifford — This  village  was  laid  out  in  1876  and  was  named  in  honor 
of  Benjamin  Gifford.  The  first  doctor  in  the  place  was  Dr.  Salmons, 
who  remained  but  a  short  time.  He  was  followed  by  Dr.  T.  J.  Berry. 
Later  came  Dr.  W.  Van  Camp,  and  in  1877  Dr.  D.  E.  McKinney,  who 
practiced  medicine  there  for  about  twenty  years  and  then  went  to 
Indiana. 

Homer — Old  Homer,  situated  on  the  creek  about  a  mile  north  of 
the  Homer  of  today,  was  first  settled  in  1835.  Dr.  Harmon  Stevens 
was  one  of  the  earliest  physicians  to  locate  in  Champaign  County. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  207 

When  the  Wabash  Railway  was  built  through  the  southern  part  of 
Champaign  County  in  1857,  New  Homer  came  into  existence  at  the 
railway  station,  a  mile  south  of  Old  Homer,  and  the  last  named  village 
soon  passed  out  of  existence.  Dr.  Stevens  at  once  removed  to  the  new 
village  and  practiced  medicine  there  a  good  many  years  till  his  removal 
to  Newton,  Illinois.  In  1840  Dr.  W.  A.  Conkey  located  in  Old  Homer 
and  continued  in  practice  there  till  1850,  when  he  retired  permanently. 
In  1851  Dr.  C.  P.  Hosier  came  to  Homer,  and  five  years  later  removed 
to  the  new  town  site,  but  all  the  while  he  continued  in  active  practice 
till  his  retirement  in  1859  to  engage  in  farming  and  other  pursuits. 
In  1853  Dr.  James  Core  arrived  in  Old  Homer,  engaged  in  practice, 
removed  to  the  new  village  at  its  beginning  and  continued  the  practice 
until  his  death  in  1888. 

Ivesdale — This  village,  just  within  the  borders  of  Champaign  County, 
dates  its  origin  from  about  1864,  and  is  named  for  a  Mr.  Ives,  who 
owned  a  tract  of  land  in  its  vicinity.  The  writer  has  not  been  able  to 
ascertain  much  of  its  early  medical  history,  but  among  the  physicians 
who  have  practiced  there  may  be  named  Drs.  W.  F.  Benefield,  C.  M. 
Craig,  M.  A.  Morgan,  C.  M.  Bailey,  H.  P.  Mack  and  L.  H.  Smith. 

Longview — This  village  was  laid  out  in  1883  and  the  first  physician 
to  locate  there  was  Dr.  R.  P.  Ratts. 

Ludlow — This  village,  at  first  called  Pera,  had  its  origin  in  the  '50s. 
The  first  physician  to  locate  there  was  one  Dr.  Emmons. 

Mahomet — The  first  physician  to  locate  in  Mahomet  was  Dr.  N.  H. 
Adams,  who  opened  an  office  there  in  1843.  He  remained  there  ten  to 
fifteen  years,  when  he  died.  About  1846  Dr.  C.  C.  Hawes  came  to 
Mahomet  and  continued  practice  there  until  his  death  in  1873.  Early 
in  the  '50s,  Dr.  C.  L.  Crane  located  in  Mahomet,  where  he  remained 
till  his  death  in  1856,  the  result  of  injuries  received  by  the  bursting  of 
an  anvil  that  was  fired  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  Dr.  J.  D.  Culver  came 
to  this  village  about  1857  and  remained  in  practice  there  till  his  death 
in  1890.  Dr.  John  D.  Gardner  located  and  practiced  medicine  there 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  '50s  and  the  early  '60s.  His  son, 
Dr.  John  H.  Gardner,  came  to  Mahomet  in  the  early  '70s  and  practiced 
till  his  death,  August  22,  1902. 

Ogden — This  village  was  laid  out  in  1870  and  took  its  name  from  a 
family  in  the  neighborhood.  The  first  physician  to  locate  there  was 
Dr.  Edward  Tourtellotte,  who  came  in  1870,  but  a  year  later  he  died. 
In  1871  Dr.  Job  S.  Coggeshall  located  there  and  engaged  in  practice 
till  his  death,  September.  14,  1902. 


208  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Pesotum — Dr.  E.  I.  Birdsell  was  the  first  physician  to  locate  in  this 
village,  arriving  there  late  in  1869. 

Penfield — Penfield  was  laid  out  in  1876  and  takes  its  name  from 
John  Penfield  of  Rantoul,  Illinois.  The  first  doctor  to  locate  in  the 
village  was  Dr.  M.  M.  Hazel;  and  his  near  successors  Dr.  W.  S.  Higgins, 
Dr.  W.  Van  Camp  and  Dr.  P.  E.  Cole. 

Philo— The  village  of  Philo  was  laid  out  in  1864  by  E.  B.  Hall,  son 
of  Philo  Hall,  from  whose  Christian  name  both  the  village  and  township 
are  named.  The  first  physician  to  locate  in  Philo  was  Dr.  B.  C.  Morris; 
the  next  one  was  Dr.  Hall,  whom  Dr.  James  M.  Bartholow  succeeded 
in  1869.  Dr.  Bartholow  remained  in  Philo  till  1895. 

Eantoul — The  village  of  Rantoul,  as  well  as  the  township  in  which 
it  is  located,  takes  its  name  from  Robert  Rantoul,  one  of  the  original 
stockholders  and  charter  members  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  cor- 
poration. Rantoul  was  first  settled  in  1855-56.  The  first  physician  to 
locate  there  was  Dr.  D.  M.  Marshall,  who  came  in  1856  and  remained 
till  1860.  Dr.  J.  Sweat  located  in  Rantoul  in  1857  and  continued  in 
practice  there  till  his  death  ten  years  later. 

Sadorus — This  village  was  laid  off  about  1856  and  in  that  year  came 
its  first  physician.  Dr.  A.  Catron.  In  1869  Dr.  J.  G.  Chambers  located 
there  and  practiced  a  number  of  years,  when  he  removed  to  his  farm  in 
Sadorus  Township,  where  he  yet  lives. 

Seymour — The  first  doctors  to  locate  there  were  Dr.  J.  M.  Hadden 
and  one  Dr.  Clark,  about  1870. 

Sidney — Excluding  the  "medicine  men"  of  the  Indian  tribes,  who 
were  no  doubt  frequent  visitors  to  this  spot,  and  possibly  a  doctor  in 
the  employ  of  the  Government,  the  first  physician  to  practice  his  profes- 
sion in  the  eastern  part  of  Champaign  County  was  Dr.  Lyon,  who  was 
an  Eastern  gentleman  of  some  ability  and  refined  tastes.  He  evidently 
had  great  hopes  for  the  future  of  his  location,  for  it  was  he,  in  connec- 
tion with  a  Mr.  Davis,  who  laid  off  the  original  village  of  Sidney,  the 
name  being  given  in  honor  of  Miss  Sidney  Davis,  the  eldest  daughter 
of  one  of  the  founders  of  the  village.  He  also  designed  a  very  large 
park,  a  part  of  which  is  now  the  public  school  grounds,  the  remainder 
long  ago  having  been  sold  in  town  lots.  He  devoted  some  time  at  least 
to  training  horses,  as  he  had  built  for  his  use  a  training  track  and  barn. 
The  old  track  was  one-half  mile  southeast  of  Sidney.  The  doctor  sold 
all  his  interests  later  to  J.  R.  C.  Jones  and  then  moved  to  Texas,  where 
he  was  visited  by  friends  in  1865,  who  found  that  he  had  been  elected 
to  the  Legislature  in  that  State.  For  some  years  after  the  departure  of 
Dr.  Lyon  the  practice  in  the  locality  was  done  by  Drs.  Conkey  and 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  209 

Hosier  of  Old  Homer.  Dr.  H.  S.  Hickman  came  to  Sidney  about  1859 
and  practiced  with  Dr.  Hartman.  In  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  the 
Eebellion,  he  was  among  the  first  to  enlist,  being  a  private  in  Company  I, 
Second  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  served  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and,  on 
his  return,  finding  the  field  of  medicine  well  filled  at  the  place,  went  to 
Newman,  Illinois,  where  he  practiced  for  twenty  years,  then  moving  to 
the  new  town  of  Longview,  remained  but  a  short  time,  when  he  moved 
to  Wichita,  Kansas.  Dr.  S.  D.  Jerauld  came  to  Sidney  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  having  a  good  practice  when  the  war  broke  out.  Three  sons 
enlisted,  William,  Walter  Hall  and  T.  D.  Jerauld.  William  was  killed 
at  Vicksburg,  Walter  Hall  was  a  prisoner  at  Andersonville,  Georgia,  and 
died  while  a  prisoner.  T.  D.  Jerauld,  the  youngest,  returned  after  the 
close  of  the  war  and  was  discharged  January  6,  1866.  Dr.  S.  L.  Jerauld 
contracted  quick  consumption  going  South  after  his  son  William,  who 
was  killed.  He  died  April  5,  1865. 

St.  Joseph — The  first  physician  to  locate  at  Old  St.  Joseph  was 
Dr.  James  Gillespie  and  the  next  Dr.  Anthony  Doyle,  and  a  little  later 
Dr.  George  Doyle.  Dr.  William  Goodwin  was  also  there  for  a  time. 
Later  came  Dr.  David  Jennings. 

It  was  about  1870  that  old  things  in  this  region  passed  away  and  new 
things  came  about  when  Old  St.  Joseph  gave  away  to  New  St.  Joseph. 
In  the  latter  village  Dr.  David  Jennings  was  the  first  physician  to 
locate,  and  Dr.  W.  B.  Sims  the  next,  both  of  whom  came  about  1870. 

Tolono — This  village  dates  its  origin  from  about  1856.  The  first 
physician  to  locate  there  was  Dr.  Herman  Chaffee,  who  built  the  fourth 
frame  house  erected  in  the  place.  Dr.  Chaffee  remained  there  until  his 
death  in  1900.  About  1857  Dr.  B.  D.  Keator  came  to  Tolono  and  con- 
tinued in  active  practice  till  1878,  when  he  moved  to  Missouri.  In  1861 
Dr.  S.  S.  Salisbury  arrived  in  Tolono  and  practiced  until  death  overtook 
him  in  old  age.  In  1865  Dr.  A.  T.  Darrah  came  to  Tolono  and  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  and  continued  it  until  his  removal  to  Bloom- 
ington  in  1883.  In  1874  Dr.  C.  B.  Johnson  removed  to  Tolono  from 
Crittenden  Township,  where  he  had  practiced  three  years,  and  answered 
professional  calls  until  his  removal  to  Champaign  in  April,  1879. 

Urbana — Dr.  John  S.  Saddler  located  in  Urbana  in  1839  and  was 
the  first  doctor  to  make  his  home  there,  but  he  remained  only  a  few 
years.  Dr.  Winston  Somers  came  in  1840  and  continued  to  practice 
medicine  until  his  death  in  1871.  Dr.  William  D.  Somers,  brother  of 
Dr.  Winston  Somers,  located  in  Urbana  about  the  same  time  and  the 
brothers  were  partners  till  Dr.  W.  D.,  in  1847,  abandoned  medicine  for 
the  law.  In  the  '50s  came  Drs.  J.  F.  Snyder,  J.  T.  Miller,  James  Hol- 

1—14 


210  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

lister,  C.  H.  Mills.  C.  A.  Thompson,  M.  B.  Thompson,  Joseph  Hager, 
M.  Lindley  and  W.  M.  Goodwin.  Drs.  Hollister  and  Mills  removed  to 
Champaign  in  1856. 

PATEIOTISM  AND  POLITICS 

Dr.  Johnson  notes  with  keen  interest  what  a  large  part  the  physicians 
of  the  county  have  taken  in  patriotic  service  and  in  politics.  Among 
those  who  served  as  surgeons  in  the  Civil  War  may  be  mentioned  the 
names  of  Dr.  S.  H.  Birney,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Illinois  Infan- 
try; Dr.  J.  G.  Chambers,  One  Hundred  and  Ninetieth  Pennsylvania 
Infantry;  J.  S.  Coggeshall,  Second  Indiana  Cavalry;  A.  Jackson  Crane, 
Second  Illinois  Cavalry;  Jacob  Culver,  Seventy-first  Illinois  Infantry; 
W.  S.  Franklin  (went  from  Champaign  County  as  surgeon  in  an  Ohio 
regiment,  but  what  regiment  is  not  known)  ;  Dr.  M.  Garst,  Seventy-first 
Illinois  Infantry;  Dr.  Lyman  Hall,  Sixty-third  Illinois  Infantry;  Dr. 
William  H.  Hess,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Illinois  Infantry;  Dr.  D. 
P.  McClure,  Sixty-fourth  Ohio  Infantry;  Dr.  J.  T.  Miller,  Sixtieth  Illi- 
nois Infantry;  Dr.  C.  H.  Mills,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Illinois 
Infantry;  Dr.  C.  A.  Thompson,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Illinois 
Infantry,  Thirteenth  Illinois  Infantry  and  Ninetieth  Illinois  Infantry; 
Dr.  C.  A.  Hunt,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Infantry. 

In  addition  to  the  above  list  of  medical  men  who  gave  their  profes- 
sional service  and  one  of  them  his  life  to  the  country,  there  is  a  goodly 
number  of  doctors  in  Champaign  County  who  served  in  the  ranks  when 
mere  boys.  Among  these  may  be  named  Dr.  E.  C.  Bartholow,  Dr.  J.  M. 
Bartholow,  Dr.  John  M.  Gardiner,  Dr.  Goodman,  Dr.  J.  M.  Hadden, 
Dr.  Apollis  Hess,  Dr.  J.  C.  Harmon,  Dr.  H.  S.  Hickman,  Dr.  R.  H. 
Huddleston,  Dr.  David  Jennings,  Dr.  Charles  B.  Johnson,  Dr.  E.  A. 
Kratz,  Dr.  Wesley  Lawson,  Dr.  J.  D.  Mandeville,  Dr.  D.  R.  McKinney, 
Dr.  John  North,  Dr.  J.  T.  Purcell  and  Dr.  W.  B.  Simms. 

Of  the  physicians  who  became  prominent  in  politics  were  Dr.  E.  C. 
Bartholow  of  Mahomet,  who  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1876  and 
was  instrumental  in  having  the  Illinois  Medical  Practice  Act  placed  on 
the  statute  books;  Dr.  James  Core  of  Homer,  a  member  of  the  lower 
House  of  the  Legislature  in  1878;  Dr.  James  H.  Lyon  of  Sidney,  who 
was  elected  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  in  1836  and  served  with  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  E.  D.  Baker,  General  Shields,  Col.  John 
Hardin,  U.  F.  Linder  and  other  able  and  famous  men;  Dr.  J.  W. 
Scroggs  of  Champaign,  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  1868  and  active 
in  locating  the  Industrial  University  at  Urbana,  and  Dr.  L.  S.  Wilcox, 
also  of  Champaign,  who  served  as  revenue  collector  for  the  Springfield 
district  1889  to  1893  and  as  consul  to  Hankow,  China,  at  a  later  date. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  211 

ILLINOIS  MEDICAL  PRACTICE  ACT 

This  measure  had  its  inception  in  Champaign  County.  In  1876, 
centennial  year,  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  met  in  the  Twin  Cities 
May  16,  17  and  18.  The  sessions  of  the  society  were  held  in  the  chapel 
of  the  main  university  building. 

The  propriety  of  a  medical  practice  act  regulating  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  the  organization  of  a  State  Board  of  Health  came  up  for 
consideration  the  last  day  of  the  meeting.  And  after  being  fully  dis- 
cussed, Dr.  S.  H.  Birney  of  Urbana  moved  that  a  committee,  consisting 
of  a  medical  man  from  each  congressional  district,  be  appointed  to 
memorialize  the  Illinois  Legislature  upon  the  urgent  need  of  the  proposed 
medical  legislation. 

Dr.  William  M.  Chambers  of  Charleston  offered  a  substitute  that, 
after  receiving  some  modifications,  read  as  follows : 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  memorialize  the  next 

Legislature  on  the  subject  of  the  appointment  of  a  State  Board  of 

Health,  and  that,  with  proper  modifications,  the  act  by  which  the  Board 

of  Health  of  Massachusetts  was  inaugurated  be  submitted  to  the  same 

as  a  basis  for  the  Illinois  State  board. 

"Resolved,  That  as  members  of  the  State  Medical  Society,  each  one 
shall  consider  himself  bound  to  urge  the  propriety  of  a  State  Board  of 
Health  upon  the  representatives  of  his  district." 

The  memorializing  committee  was  appointed  and  consisted  of  the 
following  physicians :  E.  W.  Gray  of  Bloomington,  William  M.  Cham- 
bers of  Charleston,  S.  H.  Birney  of  Urbana,  William  Massey  of  Paris, 
F.  B.  Haller  of  Vandalia. 

The  committee  did  its  work  well,  and  at  the  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1876-77  the  original  Illinois  Medical  Practice  Act  passed  both 
houses,  was  signed  by  Governor  Cullom  and  speedily  became  the  law  of 
the  commonwealth. 

Champaign  County  was  fortunate  in  having  in  the  Legislature  at 
that  time  Dr.  E.  C.  Bartholow  of  Mahomet  and  Hon.  R.  A.  Bower  of 
Tolono,  both  of  whom  worked  assiduously  for  the  bill.  In  due  time 
Governor  Cullom  appointed  the  members  of  the  first  board  of  health 
and  upon  this  Champaign  County  was  represented  by  J.  M.  Gregory, 
LL.  D.,  regent  of  the  university,  and  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  the 
West.  Dr.  Gregory  did  most  excellent  work  in  organizing  and  putting 
the  new  board  on  its  feet.  With  his  well  known  versatility,  he  prepared 
several  excellent  papers  on  medical  education  and  sanitation.  During 
his  term  of  service  he  was  honored  with  the  presidency  of  the  board  for 
two  years. 


CHAPTER  VII 
SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHEES 

PIONEER  AMERICAN  TEACHERS  IN  ILLINOIS — TERRITORIAL  SCHOOL 
•  LEGISLATION — EDUCATIONAL  PROVISIONS  IN  THE  ENABLING  ACT — 
THE  STATE'S  INITIAL  SCHOOL  LEGISLATION — FIRST  STEP  TOWARD 
A  STATE-WIDE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM — STILL-BIRTH  OF  THE  DUN- 
CAN LAW — CONDITIONS  IN  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY— CHARLES  FIELDER, 
FIRST  TEACHER  IN  COUNTY — OTHER  PIONEER  TEACHERS  AND 
SCHOOLS — -FIRST  SCHOOL  IN  SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP — UNION  OF 
CHURCH  AND  SCHOOL — FIRST  SCHOOL  ON  THE  SANGAMON  RIVER — 
OLD  COURTHOUSE  AS  A  SCHOOLHOUSE — -PIONEER  SCHOOLS  AND 
TEACHERS  OF  THE  TOWNSHIPS — ST.  JOSEPH,  MAHOMET,  SOUTH 
HOMER,  KERR,  SADORUS,  COLFAX,  CONDIT,  CRITTENDEN,  NEWCOMB, 
HENSLEY,  CHAMPAIGN,  OGDEN,  PHILO,  PETOSUM,  SCOTT,  RANTOUL, 
RAYMOND,  HARWOOD  AND  TOLONO  TOWNSHIPS — ASAHEL  SMOKING 
OUT  THE  BOYS — INADEQUATE  REVENUES — PRESENT  COUNTY  SYSTEM 
— SCHOOL  COMMISSIONERS  AND  SUPERINTENDENTS — THOMAS  R. 
LEAL — COUNTY  TEACHERS'  INSTITUTES — PROGRESS  DURING  MR. 
LEAL'S  ADMINISTRATION — GEORGE  R.  SHAWHAN,  LATER-DAY 
BUILDER — PRESENT  STATUS  OF  THE  SCHOOLS — STATE  EXAMINING 
BOARD — GROWTH  OF  WORK  OF  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUC- 
TION— SUPERVISION  AND  STANDARDIZATION  OF  RURAL  SCHOOLS — 
HIGH  SCHOOL  TUITION  ACT — STATE  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEY. 

Only  scraps  of  information  come  down  to  us  regarding  efforts  of  the 
Jesuit  missionaries,  and  later  settlers  in  the  Illinois  country  of  British 
and  American  connections,  to  plant  the  seeds  of  learning  in  this  western 
region  amid  the  unfavorable  conditions  of  wilderness  life.  It  is  said 
that  the  Jesuits  even  founded  what  was  called  a  College  at  Kaskaskia 
and  which  lingered  for  some  thirty  years.  When  the  order  was  sup- 
pressed in  France  in  1764,  its  Kaskaskia  property  was  confiscated,  as 
elsewhere  in  the  world.  The  college  buildings,  a  brewery  and  a  well- 
stocked  farm  at  that  place,  were  all  sold  to  the  highest  bidder. 

212 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  213 

PIONEER  AMERICAN  TEACHERS  IN  ILLINOIS 

There  was  virtually  no  educational  activity  in  Illinois  during  the 
British  rule,  in  1765-78,  but  among  the  soldiers  of  George  Eogers  Clark, 
the  American  officer,  were  some  educated  men,  with  families,  who  taught 
school  in  such  settlements  of  Illinois  as  New  Design,  Monroe  County, 
Kaskaskia,  and  a  few  places  in  Randolph,  Madison  and  St.  Clair 
counties.  Although  some  of  these  teachers  were  college-bred,  the 
description  applied  to  one  of  them  would  lay  down  the  rule,  "faithful, 
but  not  learned."  All  these  schools,  and  scores  of  others,  of  which  there 
is  no  record,  were  subscription  concerns.  The  teachers  charged  a  small 
fee  for  each  pupil  per  month  or  quarter,  and  it  was  generally  planned 
that  they  should  board  in  the  homes  of  the  patrons. 

TERRITORIAL  SCHOOL  LEGISLATION 

The  first  General  Assembly  of  Indiana  Territory  passed  an  act  in 
1806  which  laid  the  foundation  for  the  University  of  Vincennes,  and 
when  the  territory  of  Illinois  was  set  off  in  1809  that  institution  was 
outside  its  limits.  The  Illinois  Territorial  Legislature  passed  an  act 
locating  the  township  which  the  general  government  had  agreed  to 
give  the  state  to  support  a  seminary  of  learning.  It  proved  to  be  partly 
in  the  Kaskaskia  Valley  and  as  it  was  then  thought  to  be  of  little  value, 
at  the  request  of  the  territorial  authorities,  Congress  agreed  to  another 
selection,  comprising  thirty-six  sections  scattered  throughout  the  terri- 
tory. 

EDUCATIONAL  PROVISIONS  IN  THE  ENABLING  ACT 

When  Nathaniel  Pope,  the  Illinois  delegate  to  Congress,  drew  the 
act  enabling  the  territory  to  become  a  state,  he  formulated  as  the  Sixth 
section  thereof  four  clauses  referring  to  the  offer  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment to  donate  lands  to  the  state  of  Illinois  for  the  use  of  public 
schools.  The  first  clause  provided  that  Section  16,  in  each  township 
was  to  be  given  to  the  state  of  Illinois  to  the  inhabitants  of  such  town- 
ship for  the  use  of  schools;  the  second,  refers  to  the  gift  of  the  salt 
lands ;  the  third,  provides  that  five  per  cent  of  the  amount  realized  from 
the  sale  of  the  public  lands  in  Illinois  should  be  reserved  for  the  state — 
two  per  cent  for  the  improvement  of  roads  leading  into  the  state  and 
three  per  cent  for  school  purposes,  of  which  latter  one-half  per  cent 
'was  to  be  applied  to  a  college  or  university;  the  fourth  sets  aside  an 
entire  township  of  land  for  the  use  of  a  seminary  of  learning  to  be 


214  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

vested  in  the  State  Legislature.  The  first  provision  gave  the  state 
nearly  a  million  acres  of  land,  the  proceeds  of  which  passed  into  a 
permanent  township  school  fund  and  is  the  financial  basis  of  the  public 
school  system  of  Illinois. 

THE  STATE'S  INITIAL  SCHOOL  LEGISLATION 

In  Governor  Bond's  first  message  to  the  Legislature,  in  1819,  he 
recommended  to  that  body  a  revision  of  the  territorial  laws  and  called 
special  attention  to  education  in  these  words:  "It  is  our  imperious 
duty,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  which  we  are  answerable  to  God 
and  our  country,  to  watch  over  this  interesting  subject."  In  response 
to  this  call  of  duty  by  the  governor,  the  Legislature  passed  laws  making 
it  an  offense  to  cut  timber  from  any  school  lands,  the  rents  resulting 
therefrom  to  be  applied  to  the  cause  of  education.  The  same  General 
Assembly  passed  laws  chartering  academies  at  Edwardsville,  Carlyle 
and  Belleville,  and  at  the  second  session,  in  1820,  the  Legislature 
incorporated  the  Belleville  Debating  and  Library  Society,  and  took  steps 
toward  advancing  the  cause  of  education  at  Alton,  and  in  Monroe  and 
White  counties ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  any  practical  results  evolved 
from  this  legislation. 

FIRST  STEP  TOWARD  A  STATE-WIDE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM 

But  the  time  was  at  hand  when  a  measure  was  to  become  funda- 
mental law  which  should  prove  the  first  step  toward  a  free-school  system 
for  the  entire  state.  Its  author  was  Joseph  Duncan,  state  senator 
from  Jackson  County,  and  destined  for  seats  in  Congress  and  the  guber- 
natorial chair.  On  the  face  of  it  the  law  was  a  good  one.  It  provided 
for  schools  in  every  county,  created  the  proper  officers  and  the  means 
of  electing  them.  School  sites  and  tax  levies  for  the  support  of  the 
system,  were  to  be  fixed  by  the  legal  voters  in  mass  meetings.  The 
taxes,  which  could  be  paid  in  money  or  merchantable  produce,  must 
not  be  more  than  one  half  of  one  per  cent  on  the  assessed  value  of 
property  in  the  county,  and  in  no  case  more  than  ten  dollars  for  any 
one  person.  School  houses  were  to  be  built  and  kept  in  repair  by  a 
poll  tax  payable  in  labor.  The  local  taxes  were  to  be  increased  by  the 
distribution  of  a  general  state  fund  derived  from  one  fiftieth  of  the 
entire  state  tax  and  five-sixths  of  the  interest  due  on  the  school  fund 
which  the  state  had  borrowed. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  215 

STILL-BIRTH  OF  THE  DUNCAN  LAW 

The  Duncan  law  nominally  appropriated  two  dollars  out  of  each 
hundred  dollars  received  by  the  state  treasury,  to  be  distributed  to 
those  who  had  paid  taxes  or  subscriptions  for  the  support  of  schools. 
But  as  the  aggregate  revenue  of  the  state  at  that  time  was  only  about 
$60,000,  the  sum  realized  from  the  Duncan  law  would  have  been  but 
little  more  than  $1,000  per  annum.  It  practically  remained  a  dead 
letter,  and  in  the  sessions  of  1826-27  the  taxing  power  authorized  by  it 
was  nullified,  and  a  return  and  a  retrogression  taken  to  the  popular 
subscription  plan,  or  no  system  at  all.  No  provision  was  made  for  the 
examination  of  the  teacher,  who  was  usually  selected  by  the  subscribers 
to  the  local  school. 

CONDITIONS  IN  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  the  first  schools  were  estab- 
lished in  Champaign  County,  and  so  remained,  without  radical  change, 
until  the  foundation  of  the  present  system  was  laid  in  1855.  For  many 
years  the  schoolhouses  of  Champaign  County,  especially  those  outside 
the  larger  centers  of  population,  were  of  the  most  primitive  character. 
They  were  usually  built  of  logs,  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  by  twenty- 
four  feet.  The  men  of  the  neighborhood  would  go  into  the  timber,  cut 
the  logs,  haul  them  to  the  designated  site  and  on  a  certain  day  would 
meet  and  carry  up  the  walls.  The  structure  was  perhaps  covered  with 
clapboards,  which  were  riven  out  of  the  oak  trees  by  some  patron  of 
the  school  who  had  been  trained  to  such  work.  The  boards  were  seldom 
nailed  on,  but  were  held  in  position  by  straight  poles  resting  on  the 
lower  ends  of  each  layer.  These  weights  were  secured  by  pins  at  each 
end  of  the  pole  set  into  the  ribs  of  the  roof,  or  by  fiat  rocks  resting  on 
the  roof  just  below  the  weight  poles.  The  doors  were  frequently  of 
sawn  boards,  but  now  and  then  they  were  constructed  of  clapboards. 
The  hinges  were  often  of  wood,  home-made.  Windows  were  openings 
in  the  side  of  the  room  made  by  removing  a  log  or  two.  In  the  very 
early  schoolhouses  the  openings  were  filled  with  oiled  paper,  glass  being 
substituted  later.  The  seats  for  the  scholars  might  be  made  of  split 
logs  with  pins  in  the  rounding  sides  for  legs.  The  split  surface  was 
made  smooth  with  broadaxe  and  plane.  Desks  were  arranged  around 
the  side  of  the  room,  made  of  sawn  boards  or  hewn  slabs,  and  were  used 
for  writing  purposes  only.  The  pupil  often  stood  when  writing. 
Paper  was  scarce  and  costly  and  slates  were  more  often  than  not  brought 
into  use  for  that  purpose.  The  pens  in  early  use  were  made  of  quills 


216  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

and  the  ink  was  of  home  manufacture,  soot  being  the  basis  of  its  make. 
The  fireplace  occupied  one  end  of  the  building,  and  was  often  lined 
with  flat  rocks  set  edgewise  and  held  in  place  by  mortar  made  of  clay, 
or  lime  and  sand.  Often  the  wooden  fireplace  was  protected  against 
the  fire  by  a  liberal  coating  of  clay  plastered  upon  the  inner  side  of  the 
structure.  The  fuel  was  wood  from  the  timber  near  by.  It  was  fur- 
nished by  the  patrons  of  the  school  and  was  brought  in  the  form  of  long 
poles  or  logs.  The  task  of  preparing  it  fell  to  the  teacher  and  the 
larger  boys.  And  this  was  the  form  of  fuel  long  after  stoves  became 
common  in  the  schoolhouses.  The  wood  lay  exposed  to  the  snows  of 
winter  and  the  rains  of  early  spring,  and  often  great  difficulty  was 
experienced  in  burning  it  as  fuel.  Blackboards  were  at  first  very  few 
and  very  crude,  one  or  two  wide  planks  planed  and  painted  serving 
the  purpose.  The  carpenter's  chalk  served  as  crayon.  The  blackboard 
was  not,  however,  considered  a  necessary  adjunct  of  the  schoolroom. 
Books  were  indeed  scarce,  Webster's  speller  and  McGuffey's  readers 
being  the  most  popular;  although  in  some  schools  the  Bible  was  the 
text  book  in  reading.  It  was  nothing  uncommon  to  find  about  the 
home  a  board  shaped  like  a  paddle,  upon  the  smooth  sides  of  which  was 
written  the  multiplication  table.  A  leather  thong  passing  through  a 
hole  in  the  handle  secured  the  device  to  the  wrist,  or  to  the  plow  handle, 
and  thus  was  always  handy  for  the  use  of  the  learner. 

The  schools  of  the  earlier  days  in  Champaign  County  were  often 
conducted  at  the  homes  of  settlers,  or  in  abandoned  cabins,  and  at  a 
later  period,  when  the  settlers  became  more  affluent  and  commenced  to 
build  separate  buildings  for  educational  purposes,  the  structures  were 
often  used  by  struggling  churches  as  well. 

CHARLES  FIELDER,  FIRST  TEACHER  IN  COUNTY 

It  is  probable  that  the  first  school  in  the  county  was  taught  by 
Charles  Fielder,  son  of  Runnel  Fielder,  the  .pioneer  settler  who,  in  1822, 
established  his  home  near  Saline  Creek  near  the  northwest  corner  of 
Section  12,  about  two  miles  east  of  Urbana.  He  is  said  to  have  opened 
the  school  in  his  father's  cabin  in  the  winter  of  1827-28,  after  a  number 
of  families  had  settled  in  the  north  end  of  the  Big  Grove,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  old  Fort  Clark  Road. 

OTHER  PIONEER  TEACHERS  AND  SCHOOLS 
Chiefly  on  the  good  authority  of  Thomas  R.  Leal,  who  served   as 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


217 


county  superintendent  of  schools  from  1857  to  1873,  the  following  were 
the  best  known  of  the  early  successors  to  Mr.  Fielding. 

In  1832  Claudie  Tompkins,  a  son  of  the  first  inhabitant  of  Urbana, 
taught  a  school  in  what  is  now  known  as  Stewart  neighborhood,  two 


FlEST    SCHOOLHOUSE    BUILT    NEAR    URBANA     (1832) 

miles  north  of  Urbana,  and  at  the  same  time  Asahel  Brewer  (or  Bruer) 
taught  in  the  Brumley  neighborhood,  two  miles  east. 

Thomas  Freeman  taught  in  Ogden  Township  as  early  as  1839,  and 
was  succeeded  in  the  same  neighborhood  by  Sarah  Laird  and  William 
Jeremiah. 

FIRST  SCHOOL  IN  SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  school  taught  in  South  Homer  Township  was  by  Abram 
Johnson  in  1829.  Its  location  was  in  the  neighborhood  where  Moses 
Thomas  first  made  his  home,  about  three  miles  northwest  of  the  village, 
near  which  were  also  settled  Thomas  Freeman,  Isaac  Burres,  John 
Bailey  and  others  heretofore  named.  The  school  was  taught  in  a  log 
house  which  had  only  greased  paper  windows.  It  was  a  pay  school, 
and  was  patronized  by  fifteen  pupils  at  $2.50  per  term. 

In  1831,  when  the  territory  of  Champaign  County  was  part  of 
Vermilion  County,  the  late  James  S.  Wright  of  Champaign — twice 
elected  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly,  once  to  each  house — helped 


218  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

in  the  organization  of  the  first  Sunday  School  in  the  county.  It  must 
have  been  near  where  the  first  day  school  was  taught.  The  next  year 
the  same  neighborhood  organized  and  maintained  a  singing  school. 

The  first  school  taught  in  Sidney  was  by  Andrew  Stevenson  (prob- 
ably the  same  who  was  the  second  sheriff  of  the  county),  in  the  winter 
of  1833,  at  the  home  of  William  Nox.  George  Acres  and  George  Nox 
were  also  early  teachers  in  the  neighborhood. 

UNION  OF  CHURCH  AND  SCHOOL 

Some  three  miles  southeast  of  Urbana  was  the  home  of  John  Brown- 
field  and  a  school  was  established  in  the  early  '30s  for  the  children  of 
settlers  on  the  Salt  Fork  in  that  vicinity.  Eev.  James  Holmes,  a 
Methodist  missionary  and  a  millwright,  came  to  the  neighborhood  in 
1835,  chiefly  to  build  a  gristmill  for  Mr.  Brownfield.  He  built  the 
mill  and  then  looked  around  to  consider  the  feasibility  of  organizing 
a  Methodist  class.  The  schoolhouse,  which  took  his  eye,  is  described 
by  Martin  Ehinehart,  one  of  the  interested  settlers,  as  follows:  "Built 
of  split  logs,  with  puncheon  floors,  basswood  bark  loft,  greased  paper 
windows,  half-log  benches  (flat  side  up),  and  cost,  furniture  and  all, 
not  to  exceed  $25."  In  this  schoolhouse  Elder  Holmes  organized  the 
first  class  in  Methodism  in  Champaign  County,  probably  in  the  winter 
of  1836. 

FIRST  SCHOOL  ON  THE  SANGAMON  RIVER 

Charles  Cooper  taught  the  first  school  on  the  Sangamon  River  in 
Champaign  County,  in  1835.  The  scene  of  his  labors  was  a  log  cabin, 
sixteen  by  eighteen  feet,  located  about  a  mile  south  of  the  village  of 
Mahomet,  and  his  scholars  included  the  children  of  the  Robertson,  Max- 
well, Scott,  Osborn  and  Lindsay  families. 

Levi  Asher  taught  a  school  at  Lewis  Kuders'  house,  in  Kerr  Town- 
ship, during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1837.  Another  school  was  opened 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Middle  Fork  at  Sugar  Grove.  C.  W.  Gulick, 
afterward  of  Champaign,  was  a  pioneer  teacher  in  that  part  of  the 
county. 

In  1838  Henry  Sadorus  employed  James  F.  Outten,  afterward 
county  clerk  of  Piatt  County,  to  teach  a  school  in  his  own  house 
for  the  benefit  of  his  own  children  and  those  of  the  neighborhood. 
The  Piatt  children  attended  that  school.  Not  long  afterward  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Lyon,  who  laid  out  the  village  of  Sidney,  taught  in 
a  log  schoolhouse  north  of  the  village  of  Sadorus.  Thomas  Hunter  and 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  219 

Miss  Julia  Coil,  afterward  Mrs.  Dr.  Leal,  were  similarly  employed  in 
that  neighborhood.  About  1843  Miss  Margaret  Patterson  taught  in  a 
log  schoolhouse  built  by  William  Eock,  about  four  miles  south  of 
Sadorus. 

Jeptha  Truman,  who  became  a  citizen  of  Kansas,  but  who  came  to 
Champaign  County  with  the  family  (his  father  was  John  Truman),  in 
1830,  about  1837  attended  a  school  at  the  town  of  Byron  taught  by 
Billy  Phillips,  which  he  often  described  in  his  mature  years.  The 
schoolhouse  had  been  used  for  a  country  store.  The  classes  were  made 
up  mainly  of  the  young  members  of  the  Jacob  Heater,  Lewis  Adkins 
and  Charles  Heptonstall  families  and  were  drawn  from  the  Big  Grove 
region.  N 

Besides  those  already  named  as  teachers  in  ITrbana,  may  be  men- 
tioned Messrs.  Parmenter,  Standish  and  Samuel  C.  Crane,  and  Moses 
Argo,  John  B.  Swearingen  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Peters  were  early  teachers 
in  St.  Joseph. 

OLD  COURTHOUSE  AS  A  SCHOOLHOUSE 

The  first  exclusive  schoolhouse  to  be  occupied  in  Urbana  was  the  old 
courthouse  of  1841.  In  1848,  to  make  room  for  a  new  courthouse,  it 
was  moved  to  the  lot  subsequently  occupied  by  the  First  M.  E.  Church. 
In  it,  for  several  years,  the  juveniles  of  Urbana  had  the  advantage  of 
instruction  from  such  men  as  John  Wilson,  R.  P.  Carson,  John  Camp- 
bell, Samuel  C.  Crane,  Noah  Levering,  William  Sim  and  Joseph  W.  Sim. 

John  B.  Thomas  was  one  of  the  pioneer  schoolteachers  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county.  He  entered  land  in  Ogden  and  South  Homer  as 
early  as  1834  and  taught  about  that  time.  Afterward  he  served  as 
probate  justice,  county  judge  and  school  commissioner.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1861  he  was  a  practicing  lawyer  at  Homer. 

PIONEER  SCHOOLS  AND  TEACHERS  OF  THE  TOWNSHIPS 

The  townships  of  the  county  have  always  taken  a  laudable  pride  in 
the  fact  that  the  pioneers  established  schools  for  their  children  as  soon 
as  their  means  would  allow,  and  supported  them  to  the  limit  of  their 
purses.  So  that  although  everything  connected  with  the  old-time  sub- 
scription school  was  crude,  "they  did  what  they  could."  A  chronological 
record  of  other  early  schools  established  in  the  different  townships  would 
read  in  this  wise,  some  of  the  facts  perhaps  overlapping  those  furnished 
by  the  old  superintendent  of  schools,  Thomas  R.  Leal. 


220  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ST.  JOSEPH  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  school  in  this  township  was  conducted  on  the  farm  of  Squire 
William  Peters,  the  father  of  John  M.  Peters,  and  was  opened  by  John 
Laird,  who  continued  through  its  first  term  in  1833.  The  class  was 
mustered  in  the  Squire's  kitchen. 

The  next  school  at  Hickory  Grove  had  as  its  teacher  Moses  Argo, 
and  was  held  in  a  log  hut,  also  on  the  William  Peters  place  in  Section 
26.  The  school  continued  at  that  locality  for  three  years,  when  the 
building  was  moved  to  the  Rankin  place,  Section  23. 

MAHOMET  TOWNSHIP 

George  Cooper  taught  the  first  school  in  Mahomet  Township, 
although  a  house  for  that  special  purpose  was  not  built  until  1837.  It 
was  erected  that  year  on  Section  14  and  called  District  No.  1.  The 
district  named  was  formed  by  Jonathan  Maxwell,  T.  S.  Scott  and  John 
G.  Eobertson. 

SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP 

t 

Moses  Thomas  was  the  leader  in  having  the  first  schoolhouse  of  the 
township  erected  on  his  farm.  The  next  building  solely  for  school 
purposes  was  completed  in  Old  Homer  during  1838  and  E.  C.  Wright 
opened  it  as  such. 

KERB  TOWNSHIP 

In  1838  Levi  Asher  had  charge  of  the  first  school  in  Kerr  Town- 
ship; but  the  pioneer  sohoolhouse  was  built  on  James  Skinner's  farm, 
Section  21.  William  Y.  Courtney,  Samuel  Tarves  and  Richard  Bryan 
also  taught  in  this  first  exclusive  schoolhouse.  About  1845  an  old  barn 
at  Sugar  Grove  was  transformed  into  a  schoolhouse,  and  it  is  known 
that  Stephen  Ireland  taught  in  it. 

SADORTJS  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  school  in  this  section  of  the  county  was  opened  by  James 
Outen  in  a  log  cabin  during  1838.  In  1842  William  Rock,  Mr.  Beaver 
and  others  built  a  log  schoolhouse,  with  greased  paper  for  window  glass, 
and  hired  Margaret  Patterson  as  a  teacher,  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar 
per  week  and  "board  'round."  Besides  the  children  of  the  subscribers 
named,  the  Earlys  and  Munns  attended  the  school.  The  cabin  thus 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  221 

erected  for  educational  purposes  stood  near  Mr.  Eock's  house,  and  was 
not  abandoned  until  more  than  forty  years  had  passed. 

COLFAX  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  in  a  log  building  erected 
for  the  purpose  in  1848.  It  is  said  that  most  of  its  subscribers  lived 
in  Tolono  and  Sadorus  townships.  Eeligious  meetings  were  also  held 
there.  Jane  Lyon,  of  Sidney,  was  the  first  teacher,  and  the  Millers, 
Hamiltons,  Sadoruses  and  Cooks  subscribed  twelve  dollars  per  month 
for  her  benefit  and  the  future  of  their  children. 

CONDIT  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  school  in  Condit  Township  was  taught  by  C.  Taylor  in  an 
old  log  house  near  what  was  afterward  the  residence  of  John  Phillips 
in  1848. 

CRITTENDEN  TOWNSHIP 

As  soon  as  there  was  a  sufficient  number  of  children  to  justify  them 
in  so  doing,  a  teacher  was  engaged  and  a  subscription  school  opened  in 
a  cabin  in  Bouse  Grove,  Obadiah  Johnson  being  the  teacher.  The  first 
term  was  taught  in  1852-53.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Tompkins  and  a 
Miss  Merry  were  also  among  the  pioneer  teachers.  A  schoolhouse  was 
erected  in  1857  by  Alfred  Bocock  on  Section  14  and  Martha  Chapin 
(subsequently  Mrs.  Cristy)  was  employed  to  teach. 

NEWCOMB  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  schoolhouse  built  in  Newcomb  Township  was  located  on 
Section  27  and  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1852.  It  was  a  log  cabin 
sixteen  by  eighteen  feet,  and  its  presiding  genius,  R.  Banes,  taught  two 
terms.  But  a  sort  of  a.  school  had  preceded  it  in  Jesse  Pancake's  old 
log  house,  which  he  had  abandoned  for  a  better  residence;  for  in  1851 
Miss  Martha  Newel  taught  a  term  therein. 

HENSLEY  TOWNSHIP 

In  the  winter  of  1853  the  first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  this  town- 
ship, the  class  which  gathered  there  being  conducted  by  John  Thrasher 
at  twelve  dollars  per  month.  The  second  school  was  taught  in  1854  by 
Dicy  Ann  Newel  (afterward  Mrs.  Ragin). 


222  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

CHAMPAIGN  TOWNSHIP 

Dr.  Shumacher  (Shoemaker)  taught  the  first  school  in  the  township 
during  the  winter  of  1854  in  a  small  one-story  frame  building.  It 
was  a  subscription  school  of  about  a  dozen  pupils.  During  the  Civil 
War  Dr.  Shumacher  held  a  commission  in  the  Confederate  service  and 
died  in  the  South. 

In  the  summer  of  1855  a  young  man  named  Howard  Pixley  taught 
a  private  school  west  of  the  Illinois  Central  tracks,  in  a  little  one- 
story  frame  between  Hickory  and  Tremont  streets,  Champaign. 

The  first  public,  or  free  school  in  the  township,  was  taught  by  Mrs. 
M.  A.  Fletcher,  assisted  by  her  son,  in  the  winter  of  1855-56.  It  was 
held  in  the  old  Goose  Pond  Church. 

OGDEN  TOWNSHIP 

The  children  of  Ogclen  Township,  in  the  earlier  days,  attended  school 
in  St.  Joseph  and  Homer  townships,  adjoining  Ogden.  Eleazer  Free- 
man once  stated  that  the  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  in  his 
kitchen,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Ogden,  by  Tiffin  Donaldson,  in 
1855. 

PHILO  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  schoolhouse  credited  to  Philo  Township  was  built  on  Sec- 
tion 9  in  1857  near  the  residence  of  L.  Eaton,  and  was  called  Yankee 
Ridge  schoolhouse.  The  pioneer  school  was  opened  in  February  of  that 
year  by  Miss  Emeline  Keeble  (afterward  Mrs.  Collor). 

PESOTUM  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  schoolhouse  erected  in  Pesotum  Township  was  what  was 
long  known  as  the  Nelson  School,  erected  in  1857.  Mr.  Brown  was  its 
teacher.  About  this  time  Miss  Sarah  Pennington  taught  a  class  in  the 
freighthouse  at  Pesotum,  and  Misses  Carrie  Kelly  and  Mary  Walling 
also  conducted  pioneer  enterprises  of  the  same  nature. 

SCOTT  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  erected  in  1857  near  Samuel  Koogler's 
place,  the  children  of  the  locality,  previous  to  that  year,  having  been 
sent  to  a  school  in  the  Harris  district,  Mahomet  Township. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  223 

KANTOUL  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  teacher  in  the  township  was  J.  A.  Benedict,  who  taught 
four  months  in  the  winter  of  1857-58.  In  the  fall  of  1859  the  first 
public  schoolhouse  was  built  by  Archa  Campbell,  a  few  rods  west  of  his 
log  cabin  at  the  Grove.  John  Penfield,  John  A.  Benedict  and  John 
Eoughton  were  the  first  school  directors  of  the  township. 

KAYMOND  TOWNSHIP 

•Perhaps  the  pioneer  school  in  this  township  was  taught  by  Addie 
Kuble  in  1857,  and  the  house  was  an  old  log  cabin  which  stood  near 
what  became  the  homestead  of  William  Martinie.  Miss  Annie  South- 
worth  was  also  a  pioneer  schoolma'am.  In  1859  J.  E.  Southworth 
erected  the  first  schoolhouse  in  the  township.  It  was  considered  quite 
imposing — octagonal  in  shape,  with  the  roof  terminating  in  a  central 
point,  from  which  arose  the  chimney,  and  containing  three  windows. 
Miss  Sarah  Mulligan  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  teacher  in  this 
temple  of  education. 

HAEWOOD  TOWNSHIP 

Augustus  Crawford  taught  the  first  school  in  the  township  on  Sec- 
tion 11,  opening  it  in  1860.  The  building  was  a  log  cabin  about  ten 
by  twelve  feet  and  stood  on  John  S.  Webber's  place.  It  appears  that 
the  log  building  was  first  erected  for  a  house  on  Solomon  Kuder's  place 
in  Kerr  Township,  and  was  moved  by  Jacob  Huffman  to  the  locality 
where  he  settled,  on  Section  1,  Harwood  Township.  William  Hughes 
then  changed  the  location  of  the  building  to  the  Webber  place  on  Section 
11,  in  order  to  preempt  the  land  there.  As  a  structure,  in  fact,  previous 
to  its  occupancy  as  a  schoolhouse,  it  became  quite  noted  as  a  wanderer. 

TOLONO  TOWNSHIP 

A  young  man  named  Christian  taught  the  first  school  in  this  town- 
ship, holding  forth  in  a  small  frame  house  which  long  stood  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  village.  The  first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  1863. 

ASAHEL  SMOKING  OUT  THE  BOYS 

Asahel  Bruer  (or  Brewer),  who  reached  a  venerable  age  as  a  resident 
of  Urbana,  has  been  mentioned  as  having  taught  school  two  miles  east 


224  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  TJrbana  as  early  as  1832.  There  were  few  in  Champaign  County 
who  taught  earlier  than  he,  and  the  clap-board  roofed  log  house  in  which 
he  gathered  his  classes  was  one  of  the  first  schoolhouses  to  be  erected. 
His  service  as  a  teacher  was  quite  long  for  those  times,  covering  fully 
eighteen  months.  Mr.  Bruer  was  a  Kentuckian,  as  will  become  evident 
further  along  in  this  story,  and  was  said  to  be  nicely  adaptable  to  the 
rough  ways  of  the  Illinois  country  in  which  he  had  settled  rather  late 
in  life. 

The  tale  runs,  as  told  both  by  the  heroes  of  it  and  some  of  the 
victims,  that  on  the  first  Christmas  he  taught  Schoolmaster  Bruer 
treated  the  scholars,  according  to  custom,  to  one  gallon  of  whiskey  and 
a  bushel  of  apples,  and  everything  passed  off  harmoniously.  When  the 
next  Christmas  came  around,  he  found  the  door  of  the  schoolhouse 
barred  against  him  and,  in  answer  to  his  request  for  admittance,  a  note 
was  handed  him  through  a  crack  between  the  logs  asking  not  only  that 
he  treat  to  a  bushel  of  apples  and  a  gallon  of  whiskey,  but  that  he  give 
the  scholars  a  vacation  of  one  week.  He  answered  that  he  could  not  and 
would  not,  and  then  mounted  the  roof  of  the  house.  The  clapboards 
being  held  on  the  roof  by  weight  poles,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  taking 
out  enough  to  cover  the  top  of  the  chimney.  As  there  was  a  large  fire 
made  from  green  wood  in  the  fireplace  below,  the  room  was  soon  filled 
with  smoke.  James  Kirby,  one  of  the  older  scholars,  took  the  poker, 
a  piece  of  a  pole,  and  by  throwing  it  up  the  chimney  knocked  the 
boards  off.  They  were  soon  replaced  by  Mr.  Bruer  and  on  a  second 
attempt  to  knock  them  off  Mr.  Bruer  caught  the  poker,  threw  it  on  the 
outside  and  re-covered  the  chimney.  The  house  was  soon  filled  with 
smoke,  almost  to  suffocation.  The  smaller  children  began  to  cry  and 
everyone  seemed  to  wish  there  was  an  end  to  the  matter.  About  this 
time  William  Trickle  crawled  into  the  garret,  pulled  aside  the  boards 
and  jumped  out  and  down  to  the  ground,  with  Mr.  Bruer  after  him. 
The  boys,  seeing  Mr.  Bruer  after  Trickle,  threw  open  the  door  and 
everyone  piled  out,  smoke  and  all. 

The  boys  soon  caught  Mr.  Bruer  and  began  rolling  him  in  the  snow, 
and  he  said,  pulled  his  hair.  He  protested  that  they  had  no  right  to 
do  this,  when  the  boys  submitted  the  matter  to  Stephen  Boyd  and  Mr. 
Bromley,  who  decided  that  they  had  a  right  to  bar  him  out  of  the 
schoolhouse,  but  not  to  pull  his  hair  or  roll  him  in  the  snow. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Bruer  was  released,  he  made  a  run  for  the  school- 
house,  closely  followed  by  James  Kirby  and  the  rest,  but  the  old  gentle- 
man was  first  in  the  schoolhouse,  where  he  was  master  of  the  situation 
for  a  short  time.  But  the  boys  finally  surrounded  him  and  he  sur- 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  225 

rendered,  saying :  "I  just  wanted  to  see  whether  you  had  any  Kentucky 
blood  in  you."  He  then  told  the  boys  where  to  find  a  gallon  of  whiskey 
and  a  bushel  of  apples,  hidden  a  short  distance  from  the  schoolhouse, 
which  were  soon  produced  and  the  afternoon  spent  in  roasting  apples 
and  drinking  apply  toddy.  James  Kirby,  William  and  Ashford  Trickle, 
James  W.  Boyd,  Moses  Deer,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Moore  (of  Danville), 
Fount  Busey,  Sol  Nox,  James  Roland,  Susan  Trickle  (afterward  Mr. 
Kirby's  wife)  were  present,  and,  as  men  and  women,  often  described 
the  circumstance  with  gusto.  It  remained  especially  vivid  in  the  mind 
of  James  Kirby,  who  always  insisted  that  he  was  the  hero  of  the  tale, 
rather  than  Mr.  Bruer. 

But  gradually  order,  under  the  control  of  the  constituted  authorities, 
got  the  upper  hand,  although  a  consistent  county  system  of  schools  was 
not  developed  until  the  passage  of  the  legislative  acts  of  1854  and  1855, 
the  former  creating  a  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  and  the 
latter  a  uniform  state  system,  including  a  more  compact  county  organ- 
ization. 

INADEQUATE  REVENUES 

Under  the  previous  law  no  township  could  sell  its  sixteenth,  or  school 
section,  until  it  had  fifty  inhabitants,  which  provision  for  many  years 
barred  out  many  townships  in  Champaign  County  from  taking  advantage 
of  even  that  small  revenue.  Again,  the  law  permitted  the  people  of 
any  school  district,  by  the  affirmative  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  legal 
voters,  to  levy  a  tax  equal  to  15  cents  on  each  $100  of  taxable  property 
for  the  support  of  the  public  schools.  In  view  of  the  comparative  pov- 
erty of  the  people  in  the  early  times,  when  considered  as  owners  of 
taxable  property,  this  also  was  an  insignificant  source  of  revenue.  Each 
county  was  also  entitled  to  a  certain  quota,  based  on  population,  of  the 
State  interest  on  the  school,  college  and  seminary  funds.  But  how  small 
the  public  revenues  of  the  county  were  previous  to  the  '50s  is  well  illus- 
trated by  the  figures  for  the  decade  ending  1851,  as  compiled  by 
Mr.  Leal.  The  total  for  that  decade  was  $2.064,  or  a  yearly  average  of 
$206.40. 

Under  the  old  law  the  secretary  of  state  was  ex-officio  state  superin- 
tendent of  common  schools,  and  each  county  elected  a  commissioner,  to 
whom  was  committed  the  care  and  sale  of  the  school  lands  and  the 
examination  of  teachers,  but  he  was  in  nowise  authorized  to  superintend 
the  schools.  There  was  therefore  neither  a  public  system  or  public 
support,  each  locality  depending  on  the  intelligence  and  generosity  of 
resident  subscribers  for  the  quality  of  the  education  supplied  to  the  com- 

1—15 


226  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

nnmity.  When  a  young  man  or  woman  became  especially  anxious  to 
secure  a  higher  grade  of  education  than  the  locality  afforded,  the  nearest 
centers  where  such  ambition  could  be  partially  gratified  were  Danville 
and  Georgetown,  Vermilion  County,  both  seats  of  seminaries. 

PRESENT  COUNTY  SYSTEM 

But,  commencing  with  the  movement  inaugurated  by  Prof.  Jonathan 
B.  Turner  of  Jacksonville,  which  eventuated  in  the  founding  of  the 
University  of  Illinois,  and  culminated  in  the  passage  of  the  1854-55 
laws,  which,  in  turn,  laid  the  foundation  of  a  solid  system  of  free  schools 
headed  by  the  State  which  threw  out  tentacles  into  all  the  counties  and 
townships  of  the  commonwealth,  the  present-day  era  of  popular  educa- 
tion was  born.  Now  each  county  elects  a  superintendent  of  schools, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  visit  the  schools  not  controlled  by  city  or  village 
boards,  conduct  teachers'  institutes,  advise  with  teachers  and  school 
officers  and  instruct  them  in  their  respective  duties,  conduct  teachers' 
examinations,  and  exercise  general  supervision  over  the  public  educa- 
tional affairs  of  the  county.  The  subordinate  officers  are  township 
trustees,  a  township  treasurer,  a  board  of  district  directors,  or  (in  cities 
and  villages)  boards  of  education.  The  superintendent  of  schools  is 
responsible  to  the  county  board  of  education,  of  which  he  is  an  ex-officio 
member;  that  body  is  to  consist  of  not  less  than  five  nor  more  than 
eight  persons,  of  whom  the  chairman  of  the  county  board  is  also  an 
ex-officio  member.  A  compulsory  educational  law  is  in  force  and 
women  are  eligible  to  any  office  created  by  the  general  or  special  school 
laws  of  the  State. 

Under  the  old  dispensation  of  county  education,  the  following  served 
as  school  commissioners :  John  Meade,  elected  in  1838 ;  Moses  Thomas, 
1840 ;  John  B.  Thomas,  1846  and  1848 ;  William  Peters,  1850  to  1853 ; 
Paris  Shepherd,  1853,  resigned,  and  John  B.  Thomas  served  until  1857. 

SCHOOL  COMMISSIONERS  AND  SUPERINTENDENTS 

Under  the  old  dispensation  of  county  education,  in  March,  1836, 
John  Meade  was  appointed  school  commissioner  by  the  County  Commis- 
sioners' Court  and  served  seven  years.  Moses  Thomas  was  appointed 
in  March,  1843,  and  served  three  years ;  John  B.  Thomas,  April  20,  1846, 
four  years;  William  Peters,  elected  in  March,  1850,  and  served  until 
December,  1853 ;  Paris  Shepherd,  elected  at  date  mentioned  and  resigned 
in  March,  1854 ;  J.  W.  Jaquith  appointed  at  the  latter  time  and 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  227 

resigned  in  the  following  month;  John  B.  Thomas,  appointed  in  April, 
1854,  and  served  until  the  November  election  of  1857.  Mr.  Thomas, 
therefore,  was  in  office  during  the  period  of  transformation  from  the  old 
to  the  new  system.  His  successor,  Thomas  E.  Leal,  was  elected  county 
school  commissioner  in  November,  1857,  and  served  until  December  3, 
1873,  or  a  period  of  sixteen  years  and  one  month. 

THOMAS  E.  LEAL 

No  individual  ever  did  so  much  for  the  Champaign  County  system 
of  education  as  Commissioner  Leal;  and  he  was  faithful,  thorough  and 
prominent  in  whatever  he  undertook.  He  was  of  New  York  nativity 
and  in  his  youth  a  schoolmate  of  the  noted  Jay  Gould,  but,  unlike  his. 
comrade  of  the  early  days,  never  acquired  wealth.  As  he  quaintly 
expressed  it,  "I  was  poor  then  and  I  have  held  my  own  with  wonderful 
success."  Mr.  Leal  came  to  Champaign  County  in  1852,  when  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  and  settled  in  Urbana,  and  after  teaching  in  this  and 
adjoining  counties  for  several  years  was  elected  school  commissioner,  as- 
noted.  He  not  only  served  in  that  capacity  for  sixteen  years,  but  was. 
a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  for  six  years  of  that  period. 
He  organized  the  first  teachers'  institutes  in  Champaign,  Macon,  Coles, 
Douglas,  Effingham,  Ford,  Piatt,  Vermilion  and  Iroquois  counties,  and 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  educational  affairs  of  the  entire  State. 

i1 
COUNTY  TEACHERS'  INSTITUTES 

The  first  teachers'  institute  in  Champaign  County  met  in  the  spring 
of  1857  with  seventeen  teachers  in  attendance;  Dr.  L.  M.  Cutcheon, 
Dr.  Hunt,  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham  and  others  assisted  in  organizing 
and  conducting  the  exercises.  For  several  years  after  its  organization 
the  Champaign  County  Teachers'  Institute  held  only  two  sessions 
annually  of  one  week  each.  The  meetings  gradually  increased  in  length, 
interest  and  instructive  value  until  they  covered  three  weeks,  and  even 
more,  with  fine  programs  and  unflagging  zeal  on  the  part  of  both  lec- 
turers and  teachers.  Originally,  also,  the  expenses  of  the  institute  were 
paid  by  the  teachers  and  their  entertainment  undertaken  by  the  people 
of  the  localities  where  the  meetings  were  held,  but  of  late  years,  under 
the  provisions  of  the  constitution  of  1870,  the  county  institute  and  the 
normal  schools  have  been  under  the  supervision  of  the  county  board  of 
education  and  supported  by  it  as  an  integral  part  of  the  county  system. 


228  HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

PEOGRESS  DTJRING  MR.  LEAL'S  ADMINISTRATION 

The  foundation  of  the  present  system  had  only  fairly  been  laid  when 
Superintendent  Leal  went  out  of  office  in  1873,  and,  as  stated,  he  more 
than  any  other  individual  is  credited  with  founding  it  on  an  enduring 
and  yet  an  elastic  basis.  In  1857,  when  he  assumed  the  commissioner- 
ship,  there  were  forty-six  schools  in  the  county,  twenty-six  of  which 
were  kept  in  log  schoolhouses  and  the  remainder  in  small  frame  schools 
or  dwelling-houses,  with  the  exception  of  those  occupied  in  Homer, 
Urbana  and  Champaign.  These  places  contained  comfortable  brick 
buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the  regular  grades.  Estimating  the 
value  of  the  forty-three  houses  outside  these  population  centers  at  $200 
each — which  is  pronounced  a  liberal  estimate — and  the  graded  school 
buildings  at  $20,000,  the  total  value  of  the  schoolhouses  in  the  county  in 
1857  was  $28,600.  The  houses,  for  the  most  part,  were  low,  open  and 
unsightly;  seats  usually  made  of  slabs,  or  of  boards  or  puncheons,  with 
long  sticks  thrust  in  them  for  legs.  The  desks  were  so  high  that  an 
average-sized  pupil  could  not  more  than  reach  the  top  with  his  chin 
when  seated  on  the  bench,  or  touch  his  toes  on  the  floor.  Not  a  school- 
yard in  the  entire  county  was  fenced,  unless  it  happened  to  be  in  the 
same  enclosure  with  the  field  in  which  it  was  located.  The  schoolhouses 
were  heated  with  cook  stoves,  often  so  broken  that  they  seemed  to  stick 
together  simply  from  force  of  habit.  Within  the  following  two  decades, 
largely  covered  by  Mr.  Leal's  incumbency,  there  was  a  marked  improve- 
ment in  the  buildings  occupied  for  school  purposes  throughout  the  county. 
The  old  log  houses,  with  their  puncheon  and  slab  seats,  entirely  disap- 
peared, and  only  one  of  the  old  ramshackle  frame  schoolhouses  remained. 
Buildings,  furniture,  apparatus  and  outbuildings  had  virtually  reached 
the  grade  adopted  by  the  advanced  communities  of  the  old  Middle  West 
or  the  East,  and  an  estimate  made  by  the  authorities  of  the  early  '70s 
placed  the  value  of  the  county  school  buildings  at  $310,000,  of  which 
sum  the  graded  buildings  were  placed  at  $150,000. 

The  conclusion  of  Superintendent  Leal's  last  term  in  December,  1873, 
marked  the  end  of  a  noteworthy  educational  career.  When  he  com- 
menced visiting  the  county  schools  in  1857,  there  were  only  two  bridges 
in  the  county,  and,  as  noted,  forty-six  schoolhouses;  when  he  retired 
there  were  over  200  good  houses.  When  he  assumed  the  commissioner- 
ship  there  were  no  maps,  globes  or  other  apparatus  except  at  Urbana. 
He  had  hard  work  even  to  introduce  blackboards  into  the  schools,  fre- 
quently putting  them  in  at  his  own  expense  in  order  to  induce  the  boards 
of  directors  to  try  them  as  "experimental  frills." 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  229 

About  two  years  after  retiring  as  superintendent  of  schools,  Mr.  Leal 
commenced  farming  on  land  he  had  bought  near  Sidney,  and  thus  con- 
tinued for  many  years.  He  was  also  appointed  drainage  commissioner 
by  the  county  board,  and  during  his  term  collected  about  $27,000  on 
swamp  land  account  that  many  had  charged  was  sunk  in  building  the 
courthouse.  He  held  the  receipts  for  that  sum  until  his  successor  was 
appointed,  and  much  of  it  would  never  have  been  collected  but  for  his 
honorable  persistency.  In  1885  his  report  as  sanitary  inspector  of 
Urbana  was  published  in  all  the  metropolitan  papers  by  the  State  Board 
of  Health  as  a  model  document  of  its  kind,  showing  the  thorough  man- 
ner in  which  Mr.  Leal  always  responded  to  a  call  for  the  public  good. 
But  it  is,  of  course,  as  the  father  of  Champaign  County's  system  of 
popular  education  that  he  will  be  the  highest  honored  and  the  longest 
remembered. 

GEORGE  R.  SHAWHAK,  LATER-DAY  BUILDER 

Mr.  Leal  was  succeeded  in  the  superintendency  by  S.  L.  Wilson, 
who  was  elected  to  the  office  in  November,  1873,  and  served  until  1877. 
Mrs.  Calesta  E.  Larned  served  from  1877  to  1881,  and  was  succeeded 
by  George  R.  Shawhan,  whose  service  extended  from  1881  to  1902, 
twenty-one  years.  He  shares  the  honors  with  Mr.  Leal  in  developing 
the  county  system  of  free  schools,  and  made  a  special  mark  for  the  zeal 
and  efficiency  by  which  he  raised  the  grade  of  qualifications  required 
of  country  teachers,  and  expanded  the  practical  work  of  the  teachers' 
institutes  and  the  county  normals.  He  also  introduced  many  features 
into  the  schools,  in  line  with  modern  thought  and  practice,  tending  to 
make  them  and  their  surroundings  more  pleasant  and  artistic.  Like 
Mr.  Leal,  he  was  always  so  strong  a  leader  of  public  sentiment  in  regard 
to  the  development  of  the  system  as  to  keep  the  general  interest  alive 
and  retain  the  loyalty  of  the  brightest  and  most  thoughtful  of  the  pupils. 

Mr.  Shawhan  was  of  an  old  Kentucky  family,  his  father,  William  M., 
having  become  prominent  as  a  farmer  and  public-spirited  citizen  of 
Rush  County,  Indiana,  before  locating  in  Raymond  Township  in  the 
spring  of  1856.  He  was  a  leader  in  the  Christian  Church  and  died  in 
the  Sidney  house  of  worship  of  that  denomination  in  1875.  Superin- 
tendent Shawhan  taught  school  in  that  place  for  several  years ;  then  took 
a  course  in  literature  and  science  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  from 
which  he  graduated  with  high  honors  in  1875,  and  was  principal  of  the 
Homer  schools  for  four  years  previous  to  1881,  when  he  was  appointed 
county  superintendent  of  schools  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  legis- 
lative change  in  the  time  of  holding  the  election.  In  1882  he  was 


230 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


elected  to  the  position  by  the  Kepublicans,  receiving  the  largest  majority 
of  any  man  on  the  ticket.  During  his  long  period  of  service  as  county 
superintendent  he  evinced  the  deepest  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Illi- 
nois Industrial  University,  and  in  1885  was  chairman  of  the  committee  of 
the  alumni  that  was  so  instrumental  in  changing  the  name  of  the  institu- 
tion to  that  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

PRESENT  STATUS  OF  THE  SCHOOLS 

Mr.  Shawhan  was  succeeded  by  the  present  superintendent  of  schools, 
Charles  H.  Watts,  in  1906.  Under  Superintendent  Watts  the  progress 
of  the  schools  has  continued,  and  Champaign  County  does  not  suffer  in 
comparison  with  any  other  section  of  the  State  of  virtually  equal  popu- 
lation and  financial  resources.  The  status  of  the  system  as  it  exists 
today  is  best  told  in  the  report  of  Superintendent  Watts  covering  the 
year  1917.  The  statistics  indicate  the  enrollment  of  pupils,  number  of 
teachers,  value  of  school  property  and  tax  levy  by  school  districts. 


Districts.  Enrollment.  Teachers. 

Sadorus     426  1 1 

Colfax      205  9 

Scott    267  9 

Mahomet   352  12 

Newcomb 258  7 

Brown    386  18 

Pesotum    417  11 

Tolono   416  14 

Champaign   2,290  94 

Hensley 173  6 

Condit   178  8 

East    Bend 249  10 

Crittenden     212  9 

Philo    357  11 

Urbana    2,104  68 

Somer    230  10 

Eantoul  630  22 

Imdlow    250  9 

Raymond    436  12 

Sidney   374  12 

St.  Joseph 381  14 

Stanton   216  9 

West  Compromise  337  12 

Harwood   164  9 

Ayers 139  6 

Homer  373  14 

South  Ogden    249  7 

North  Ogden    115  5 

East  Compromise   251  7 

Kerr 68  3 

Township  20,  Range  11 48  1 

Township  21,  Range  11 10  1 

Township  22,  Range  11 44  2 


Value  of 

Property. 

$16,205 

9,650 
12,450 
22,245 

9,978 

45,890 

17,440 

18,345 

673,979 

7,300 

8,525 
10,360 

8,440 

16,800 

342,735 

9,550 
40,550 
14,000 
12,792 
22,060 
34,160 

8,500 

9,650 

9,225 

8,100 
20,388 
11,650 

4,950 
18,375 

1,900 
500 
375 

1,325 


Tax  Levy. 

$7,540 
4,500 
5,400 
8,850 
4,350 

17,150 
7,350 
8,427 
141,850 
3,650 
5,450 
5,750 
4,700 
6,400 

93,775 
6,550 

14,650 
5,150 
6,825 
8,371 

11,975 
4,875 
5,300 
4,700 
3,800 

10,375 

4,600 

2,075 

6,625 

1,650 

600 

250 

850 


Totals  16,101    452    $1,448,392    $424,363 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  231 

From  the  annual  report  of  the  superintendent  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1916,  it  is  learned  that  the  total  current  expenses  incurred  by 
all  the  schools  under  his  control  amount  to  $414,223.48.  The  average 
salary  of  men  teachers  is  $740.90  per  annum  and  of  women  teachers 

$522.83. 

STATE  EXAMINING  BOARD 

The  last  biennial  report  of  the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion contains  much  interesting  and  valuable  matter,  especially  covering 
the  legislation  relating  to  the  State  and  county  systems  for  the  past 
decade.  Cullings  from  that  report,  issued  by  Francis  G.  Blair  in  the 
fall  of  1914,  are  especially  instructive  and  encouraging  as  showing  the 
advancement  made  in  the  qualifications  required  of  teachers  and  the 
specialization  in  the  supervision  of  the  rural  schools. 

"When  the  public  school  system  of  Illinois  was  in  its  infancy,"  says 
Superintendent  Blair,  "boards  of  directors  examined  their  own  teachers. 
Later  on,  the  law  placed  this  function  in  the  hands  of  the  township 
trustees.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  if  standards  of  education  were 
to  be  established,  some  greater  uniformity  in  the  qualification  of  teachers 
was  necessary.  No  such  uniformity  in  teaching  qualification  was  pos- 
sible, unless  the  certificating  authorities  were  more  uniform  in  their 
requirements.  This  led  to  giving  the  county  superintendent  the  power 
to  examine  any  certificate  teachers  within  his  county.  At  the  same 
time,  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  was  empowered  to  grant 
certificates  of  State-wide  validity.  The  number  of  certificates  granted 
by  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  from  1855  down  to  1914 
has  been  a  very  small  number  of  all  the  certificates  issued  in  the  State. 
The  great  mass  of  the  teachers  taught  on  county  certificates.  For  the 
last  twenty-five  years  it  has  been  generally  known  that  standards  of 
qualifications  for  county  certificates  differed  widely  in  the  different  coun- 
ties of  the  State,  as  teachers  were  passing  from  one  part  of  the  State  to 
the  other,  carrying  certificates  and  asking  that  they  be  recognized  wher- 
ever they  went.  Some  of  the  county  superintendents  in  the  State  began 
also  to  feel  the  burden  of  the  preparation  of  questions  and  the  grading 
of  the  manuscripts  of  the  candidates  examined.  It  was  such  a  function 
as  usurped  much  of  the  valuable  time  of  a  county  superintendent  which 
should  have  been  spent  on  the  supervision  of  his  schools.  Finally,  after 
many  years,  a  bill  was  drafted  which  received  the  support  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Association  and  the  county  superintendents.  It  passed  the 
Forty-eighth  General  Assembly,  and  became  effective  on  July  1,  1914. 
It  provided  for  a  State  examining  board  which  should  make  such  rules 


232  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

as  were  necessary  to  carry  into  effect  the  provisions  of  the  law.  The 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  was  made  ex-officio  a  member  and 
chairman  of  this  examining  board.  The  law  required  that  three  of  the 
four  appointed  members  should  be  nominated  by  the  county  superintend- 
ents' section  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  and  appointed  by  the 
superintendent  of  public  instruction.  The  other  member  of  the  board 
was  to  be  appointed  by  the  same  authority. 

"In  order  that  the  three  county  superintendents  upon  the  examining 
board  might  represent,  in  a  general  way,  the  three  large  sections  of  the 
State,  the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  asked  that  the  county 
superintendents  from  each  one  of  these  sections  should  nominate  a  can- 
didate. At  the  meeting  of  the  State  Teachers'  Association  in  December, 
1913,  the  county  superintendents'  section  nominated  Cyrus  S.  Grove, 
county  superintendent  of  Stephenson  County,  for  the  northern  portion 
of  the  State;  Ben  C.  Moore,  county  superintendent  of  McLean  County, 
for  the  central  section,  and  Elmer  Van  Arsdall,  county  superintendent 
of  Richland  County,  for  the  southern  section.  They  were  subsequently 
appointed.  The  superintendent  of  public  instruction  appointed  as  the 
other  member  of  the  examining  board  Hugh  S.  Magill,  Jr.,  superin- 
tendent of  the  city  schools  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  who,  as  a  State 
senator,  had  had  more  to  do  with  the  enactment  of  the  law  than  any 
other  one  member  of  the  General  Assembly. 

"The  examining  board  met  and  organized  by  electing  Superintendent 
Magill  secretary  of  the  board. 

"Very  few  boards  have  faced  as  large  a  task  as  lay  before  this 
examining  board.  It  had  to  deal  with  30,000  teachers  in  service  and 
provide  means  for  making  the  transfer  of  their  old  certificates  for  those 
under  the  new  law;  it  had  to  arrange  for  examinations  to  accommodate 
those  who  wished  to  secure  certificates  before  the  opening  of  the  school 
year.  The  law  was,  necessarily,  extended  and  detailed.  Few  laws, 
covering  such  broad  field  and  such  complicated  interests,  have  been  freer 
from  perplexing  inconsistencies  in  provision  and  language.  However, 
it  has  been  found  necessary  to  interpret  some  of  the  language  of  the 
law  so  as  to  make  it  consistent  with  certain  other  provisions.  It  has 
been  necessary  to  issue  circulars  of  instruction  to  county  superintendents 
and  teachers,  and  to  provide  blanks  covering  every  detail  of  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  law. 

"The  examining  board  has  held  fifteen  meetings  up  to  the  1st  of 
November,  1914.  The  first  examination  was  held  on  July  16  and  17, 
1914. 


HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY  233 

GROWTH  OF  WORK  OF  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 

"The  history  of  the  movement  to  establish  the  office  of  superintend- 
ent of  public  instruction  has  been  told  in  detail  many  times.  The  need 
of  such  an  office  had  been  felt  long  before  the  State  took  the  first  step 
toward  its  permanent  establishment.  Three  lines  of  work  were  assigned 
to  it  by  the  Legislature : 

"The  first  one  of  these  related  to  gathering  and  tabulating  statistics 
and  data  relating  to  public  education. 

"The  second  one  related  to  the  giving  of  legal  and  educational  advice 
and  counsel  to  all  the  school  officers  of  the  State. 

"The  third  related  to  the  supervision  of  the  State  common  school 
system. 

"The  first  one  of  these  functions  occupied  the  time  and  energy  of 
the  superintendent  of  public  instruction  for  the  first  ten  or  fifteen 
years,  along  with  some  advice  and  counsel  to  school  officers.  The  super- 
intendent of  public  instruction  was  given  no  assistance  and  practically 
no  expense  fund.  One  stenographer  helped  him  in  the  preparation  of 
all  the  reports  and  in  the  getting  out  of  all  his  circulars.  This  statis- 
tical work  has  grown  rather  than  diminished,  but  the  Legislature  has,  in 
recent  years,  been  more  liberal  and  has  provided  the  officer  of  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction  with  two  clerks,  who  give  practically  all 
their  time  to  the  collection  of  this  data  and  the  preparation  of  the 
statistical  reports. 

"Advice  on  legal  matters  is  now  given  by  one  assistant,  who  is  a 
trained  lawyer,  and  who  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  School  Law  of 
the  State.  The  advice  on  educational  matters  is  divided  up  amongst  the 
heads  of  the  various  departments — the  persons  in  charge  of  rural 
schools  giving  advice  to  rural  school  officers;  those  in  charge  of  ele- 
mentary schools,  advice  to  elementary  school  officers;  those  in  charge  of 
the  high  schools,  to  high  school  officers.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
advisory  function  of  the  Superintendent  •  of  Public  Instruction  has 
become  more  effective  through  the  enlargement  of  the  office  force  and  the 
placing  of  special  men  in  charge  of  special  fields  of  work. 

"This  last  result,  however,  has  been  made  possible,  mainly,  through 
the  enlargement  of  the  office  force  for  the  performance  of  the  third 
legal  duty — that  of  supervision. 

"From  the  very  beginning  of  the  office,  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  did  whatever  supervising  he  could  in  the  little  time 
which  was  left  over  from  his  other  burdensome  duties.  At  the  very 
best,  he  could  do  nothing  which  merited  the  name  of  supervision. 


234:  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

SUPERVISION  AND  STANDARDIZATION  OF  RURAL  SCHOOLS 

"In  1906  the  work  of  building  up  the  office  for  the  performance 
of  this  duty  was  begun.  A  supervisor  of  rural  schools  was  appointed, 
who  was  to  go  into  the  field,  work  with  and  through  the  county  super- 
intendents for  the  supervision  and  improvement  of  rural  schools.  Two 
years  later,  another  assistant  was  allowed  whose  duties  were  to  supervise 
rural  and  village  schools. 

"In  1913  the  Legislature  provided  for  a  high  school  supervisor, 
with  an  annual  salary  of  $4,000.  With  these  three  men,  it  was  possible 
for  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  to  arrange  for  a  syste- 
matic supervision  of  the  country  schools,  the  elementary  .schools,  and 
the  high  schools.  As  high  school  supervisor,  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  appointed  Principal  John  Calvin  Hanna,  of  the 
Oak  Park  High  School.  It  is  believed  that  the  office  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion can  serve  the  cause  of  public  education  in  no  more  effective  way 
than  through  giving  advice  and  counsel  in  directing  the  growth  of 
secondary  education.  The  last  twenty  years  has  seen  a  tremendous 
development  in  high  schools.  In  no  other  field  has  there  been  such 
a  demand  and  such  a  need  for  careful,  competent  advice  and  counsel. 
The  work  of  recognizing  the  high  schools,  as  required  by  the  certificating 
law,  is  proceeding  with  thoroughness  and  care. 

"Mention  has  been  made  of  the  appointment  of  rural  school  super- 
visors. 

"In  1909,  a  system  of  standardization  for  the  improvement  of  rural 
and  graded  schools  was  adopted  by  this  office.  In  brief,  it  provides 
for  the  visitation  by  a  supervisor  from  the  Department  of  Public 
Instruction,  who,  with  the  county  superintendent  visits  the  schools.  If 
these  schools  meet  the  minimum  requirements  in  physical  equipment, 
in  course  of  study  and  in  teaching,  a  diploma,  signed  by  the  supervisor 
and  by  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  is  granted  to  the 
school.  A  door  plate  is  also  given  by  the  Department  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion to  be  placed  on  the  front  door  of  the  schoolhouse.  It  was  found, 
in  a  very  short  time,  that  school  officers  wanted  something  to  work  for 
above  the  minimum  standards  already  set.  It  was  decided  to  offer  a 
superior  diploma  for  a  one-room  country  school  which  should  furnish 
superior  equipment,  course  of  study  and  teaching,  and  a  superior  school 
plate  was  made. 

"Under  this  movement  schools  have  been  standardized  as  follows : 
In  1909,  84;  in  1910,  142;  in  1911,  277;  in  1912,  469;  in  1913,  641; 
in  1914,  629.  In  1912  twelve  schools  were  standardized  in  Champaign 
County,  and  eleven  in  1914. 


HISTOKY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  235 

HIGH  SCHOOL  TUITION  ACT 

"In  1909,  the  Legislature  passed  an  act  requiring  districts  which  did 
not  maintain  a  high  school  to  pay  the  tuition  of  their  eighth  grade 
graduates  in  some  four-year  high  school,  selected  by  the  parents  upon 
the  approval  of  the  directors  of  the  local  district.  This  law,  however, 
in  its  passage  through  the  Senate,  was  amended  by  the  insertion  of  the 
clause  which  said,  that  the  tuition  should  be  paid  by  the  district,  pro- 
vided the  parents  or  guardian  were  unable  to  pay.  It  was  known  by 
those  who  were  interested  in  the  measure,  that  this  amendment  weakened 
greatly,  if  it  did  not  destroy  the  law.  Very  shortly  after  it  went  into 
effect,  it  was  attacked  in  various  courts  on  various  grounds.  Finally, 
a  decision  was  given  by  the  Supreme  Court  that  it  was  unconstitutional, 
inasmuch  as  a  Board  of  Education  was  not  competent  to  decide  who 
was  able  and  who  was  not  able  to  pay  the  tuition.  The  State  Teachers' 
Association,  which  had  taken  up  this  matter,  again  went  before  the 
Legislature  with  a  demand  for  an  enactment  of  a  law  without  this 
unconstitutional  provision.  Such  a  law  was  passed  by  the  Forty-eighth 
General  Assembly  and  went  into  effect  July  1,  1913. 

"It  is  difficult  to  over-estimate  the  far-reaching  consequences  of 
such  a  law.  Immediately  upon  its  going  into  effect,  every  square  foot 
of  territory  within  the  State  became  high  school  territory.  Before  that 
time  over  300,000  boys  and  girls  were  living  in  districts  where  no  high 
schools  were  established.  When  they  completed  their  eighth  grade  work, 
all  free  high  school  opportunity  for  them  ended.  If  they  attended  any 
high  school,  their  parents  had  to  pay  the  tuition.  Here  arose  that  old 
and  ugly  distinction  where  society  was  divided  by  a  money  considera- 
tion. With  the  going  into  effect  of  this  new  law,  every  graduate  of  the 
eighth  grade  in  every  district  in  the  State  had  this  free  high  school 
opportunity  open  for  him.  He  was  not  compelled  to  accept  it,  but  it 
was  open  if  he  desired  it. 

•'In  the  first  year  under  this  law  it  has  been  tested  and  tried  in 
practice  as  well  as  in  the  courts.  Many  of  the  decisions  based  on  this 
law  are  of  great  interest.  Two  of  them  are  printed  in  this  biennial 
report.  It  is  sufficient  here  to  say  that  the  law  has  been  held  consti- 
tutional by  the  Supreme  Court.  Under  its  provisions,  at  least  5,000 
boys  and  girls,  who  would  not  otherwise  have  been  in  high  school,  have 
gone.  In  the  year  closing  June  30,  1913,  there  were  enrolled  in  the 
high  schools  of  the  State  78,942;  in  the  year  closing  June  30,  1914, 
there  were  85,301  pupils  enrolled,  a  gain  of  over  8  per  cent,  whereas 
the  gain  in  the  enrollment  in  the  elementary  schools  is  only  2.6  per 


236  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY 

cent.  While  the  enrollment  in  the  high  schools,  as  compared  with  the 
enrollment  in  the  elementary  schools,  has  been  gradually  increasing, 
this  rapid  and  unprecedented  growth  must  be  attributed  to  the  free 
high  school  tuition  law.  Some  difficulties  have  appeared.  It  has  been 
found  that  some  school  districts  cannot  raise  enough  money  under  the 
limit  set  by  the  law  to  maintain  a  good  elementary  school  and,  at  the 
same  time,  pay  the  tuition  of  their  high  school  pupils.  Wherever  such 
a  condition  exists,  the  directors  have  had  to  do  one  of  two  things — cut 
down  the  character  of  their  elementary  school,  or  refuse  to  pay  the  high 
school  tuition.  The  courts  have  held  that  the  directors  in  such  districts 
are  under  no  compulsion  to  pay  high  school  tuition,  unless  they  have 
money  remaining  after  paying  for  the  maintenance  of  a  good  elementary 
school.  It  is  believed  that  some  provision  will  have  ,to  be  made  for 
meeting  these  peculiar  cases.  One  proposal  is  to  have  the  Legislature 
appropriate  a  special  amount  which  shall  be  used  to  aid  these  needy 
districts.  This  has  the  objection  of  making  it  appear  that  the  fault 
somehow  lies  in  these  particular  districts,  whereas  the  fault  generally 
lies  in  unwise  methods  of  taxation  and  distribution  of  the  revenues.  A 
second  proposal  is,  that  when  the  distributive  fund  is  sent  to  each  of 
the  counties,  the  county  superintendent  shall  be  required  to  distribute 
to  all  the  high  school  districts  upon  the  school  census  basis,  as  now  pro- 
vided by  law ;  that  he  shall  withhold  out  of  the  other  portion  a  sufficient 
amount  to  pay  the  tuition  of  all  the  pupils  from  the  non-high  school 
districts  and  then  distribute  the  balance  to  those  districts  on  the  school 
census  basis. 

STATE  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEY 

"The  last  ten  years  has  witnessed  the  development  of  a  new  tendency 
in  public  education — that  of  the  school  survey.  It  has  arisen  out  of 
the  desire  of  taxpayers,  as  well  as  school  officers,  to  have  some  sort  of 
an  appraisement  of  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  work  which  is  being 
done  in  public  education.  Unfortunately,  for  the  success  of  this  move- 
ment, these  surveys  took  the  form,  in  the  beginning,  of  private  ventures. 
Certain  clubs,  organizations  or  individuals  provided  money  to  employ 
experts  to  conduct  these  investigations  or  surveys.  In  several  notable 
instances,  the  experts  thus  employed  seemed  to  be  more  interested  in 
getting  out  a  startling,  sensational  report,  rather  than  in  arriving  at 
conclusions  which  would  assist  school  officers  in  making  the  work  of 
the  public  school  system  more  effective.  In  many  parts  of  the  country, 
school  officers  and  school  teachers  were  beginning  to  think  that  these 
experts  were  like  some  surgeons,  who  were  reputed  to  care  very  little 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  237 

whether  the  patient  survived  or  not,  so  long  as  the  operation  could  be 
pronounced  successful.  No  one  could  deny,  however,  that  the  desire 
for  these  surveys  and  appraisements  represented  a  distinct  and  worthy 
demand  on  the  part  of  the  public.  It  became  necessary,  therefore,  for 
school  officers  and  school  teachers  to  devise  methods  whereby  the  public 
might  be  informed  in  some  tangible  sort  of  a  way  concerning  the  work 
of  public  education.  In  the  State  of  Illinois,  the  State  Teachers' 
Association  has  undertaken  a  State-wide  survey  of  public  instruction. 
The  State  Association  and  its  various  sections  appropriated  money  out 
of  their  treasury.  A  number  of  the  normal  schools,  colleges  and  the 
State  University  added  to  this  amount.  A  committee  was  appointed 
to  take  direct  control  of  this  survey.  A  plan  was  formulated.  The 
various  lines  of  investigation  were  placed  under  the  immediate  direc- 
tion of  men  and  women  especially  fitted  to  carry  them  out.  Professor 
Lotus  D.  Coffman,  of  the  School  of  Education  of  the  University  of 
Illinois,  was  made  secretary  of  the  State  Association  and  director  of 
the  State  Survey.  It  may  take  two  years,  three  years,  or  four  years  to 
carry  out  this  survey  to  a  conclusion.  When  it  is  done,  however,  it  will 
have  the  distinction  of  having  been  thorough-going  and  complete,  but  at 
the  same  time,  sympathetic  and  considerate.  The  taxpayer  will  have  no 
reason  to  question  the  genuine,  lona  fide  character  of  the  survey,  and 
the  friends  of  public  education  cannot  quarrel  with  this  conclusion  on 
account  of  any  lacking  of  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  investigators." 


GREGORY 

1867-80 


BUKRILL 

ACTING  PRESIDENT 
1891-4 


JAMES 

1904- 


PEABODT 
1880-91 


DRAPER 
1894-1904 


PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


CHAPTEK  VIII 
THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

GERMS  OF  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM — EARLY  ATTEMPTS  TO  FOUNI> 
STATE  UNIVERSITIES  — PROPOSED  AGRICULTURAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL 
UNIVERSITY — PROFESSOR  TURNER'S  LEADERSHIP — ILLINOIS  INDUS- 
TRIAL LEAGUE  ORGANIZED — MORRILL  BILL  PASSED — THE  HONOR 
DUE  PROFESSOR  TURNER — ILLINOIS  INDUSTRIAL  UNIVERSITY  FULLY 
INCORPORATED — DR.  JOHN  M.  GREGORY  CHOSEN  KEGENT — BIOG- 
RAPHY OF  JOHN  MILTON  GREGORY — PROPOSED  DEPARTMENTS  A?>D 
COURSES — STUDENT  GOVERNMENT  SYSTEM — WOMEN  FIRST  AD- 
MITTED— COLLEGE  OF  ENGINEERING  FOUNDED — MAIN  UNIVERSITY 
BUILDING  COMPLETED — THE  FOUR  PIONEER  COLLEGES — AUTHOR- 
IZED TO  GRANT  DEGREES — EARLIEST  LITERARY  SOCIETIES — PROFES- 
SOR S.  W.  SHATTUCK — DR.  GREGORY'S  ADMINISTRATION — BIOGRAPHY 
OF  DR.  S.  H.  PEABODY — THE  PEABODY  ADMINISTRATION — TRUS- 
TEES MADE  ELECTIVE — SALE  OF  NEBRASKA  LANDS — PRESENT  NAME 
ADOPTED — EESIGNATION  OF  DR.  PEABODY — DR.  THOMAS  J.  BURRILL. 
—DR.  BURRILL'S  ADMINISTRATION — NEW  COURSES  OF  STUDY 
CREATED — HIGHEST  HONOR  TO  DR.  BURRILL — PRESIDENT  ANDREW 
S.  DRAPER — SCHOOLS  OF  MEDICINE  AND  PHARMACY,  CHICAGO — 
SCHOOL  OF  LAW  AND  STATE  LIBRARY  SCHOOL — DEAN  OF  WOMEN'S 
DEPARTMENT  CREATED — SUMMER  SESSION  ESTABLISHED — COLLEGE 
OF  DENTISTRY  ORGANIZED — PRESIDENT  DRAPER'S  ADMINISTRATION 
— SCHOOL  OF  COMMERCE  AND  ENGINEERING  EXPERIMENT  STATION 
—LIBRARY  AND  AGRICULTURAL  BUILDINGS  COMPLETED — Two  BUILD- 
INGS STRUCK  BY  LIGHTNING — DR.  EDMUND  J.  JAMES  (BIOGRAPHY) 
SUCCEEDS  PRESIDENT  DRAPER — SCHOOL  OF  COMMERCE  BUILDING — 
SCHOOL  OF  EDUCATION  CHEATED — SCHOOL  OF  CERAMICS — STATE 
GEOLOGICAL  AND  WATER  SURVEYS — SCHOOL  OF  RAILWAY  ENGINEER- 
ING— GENERAL  PROPERTY  TAX  FOR  UNIVERSITY — IMPROVEMENT  IN 
CHICAGO  DEPARTMENTS — INCREASE  OF  STUDENTS  AND  FACULTY, 
1890-1917 — LIBRARY  SCHOOL — THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL — GENERAL 
PROGRESS  IN  TEACHING  AND  STUDENT  STRENGTH — SUMMARY  OF 
GROWTH,  1903-1917 — IMPORTANT  BUILDINGS  ERECTED  SINCE  1914 
—FROM  1908-1914 — CHIEF  BUILDINGS  BEFORE  1908 — PROPOSED- 

239 


240  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

BUILDINGS — SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  REORGANIZED,  1906-1915 — 
SCHOOLS  AND  DEPARTMENTS  ADDED,  1905-1916 — DR.  GREGORY'S 
PREDICTION — GROWTH  OF  UNIVERSITY  BY  YEARS,  1867-1917— 
ANNALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY — FIRST  MEETING  OF  THE  BOARD  (1867) 
—UNIVERSITY  OPEN  TO  STUDENTS  (1868) — 1870 — 1871 — 1872, 
1873,  1874—1876,  1877—1881,  1882—1884,  1885,  1886,  1887— 
1891,  1892,  1893,  1894—1896,  1897—1899,  1900—1901-1904— 
EDMUND  J.  JAMES  BECOMES  PRESIDENT — 1905-1910 — NEW  AUDI- 
TORIUM DEDICATED — 1911-1916 — DEATH  OF  DR.  T.  J.  BURRILL — 
ADMINISTRATION — DEPARTMENTS  AND  COURSES — THE  COUNCIL  OF 
ADMINISTRATION — GENERAL  ADMINISTRATIVE  OFFICERS — THE  COL- 
LEGES AND  SCHOOLS — THE  UNIVERSITY  SENATE — NUMERICAL 
STRENGTH  OF  THE  FACULTY — EXPERIMENT  STATIONS  AND  SCIEN- 
TIFIC BUREAUS — AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION — ENGINEER- 
ING EXPERIMENT  STATION — STATE  LABORATORY  OF  NATURAL  HIS- 
TORY— THE  STATE  ENTOMOLOGIST'S  OFFICE — STATE  WATER  SURVEY 
— STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY — BOARD  OF  EXAMINERS  IN  ACCOUNT- 
ANCY— INVESTIGATION  OF  ILLINOIS  COAL  PROBLEMS — ACCREDITED 
HIGH  SCHOOLS — UNIVERSITY  HONORS — PRIZES  AND  MEDALS — 
SCHOLARSHIPS  AND  FELLOWSHIPS — LOAN  ^FUNDS — UNIVERSITY 
EXTENSION  WORK — AGRICULTURE — CERAMIC  ENGINEERING — HOME 
ECONOMICS — UNIVERSITY  FINANCES — TOTAL  VALUATION  OF  UNIVER- 
SITY PROPERTY. 

A  survey  of  the  University  of  Illinois  seems  at  first  sight  to  be  an 
undertaking  almost  appalling  in  the  multitude  of  the  details  which 
arise  for  consideration.  Before  getting  deep  into  the  work,  it  may  be 
well  to  note  briefly  how  the  great  educational  institution  of  the  state 
and  the  nation  stands  with  reference  to  other  noble  monuments  of  a 
similar  character.  Two  years  ago,  it  passed  permanently  beyond  the 
attendance  mark  of  6,000  students,  and  in  that  regard  it  is  exceeded  by 
the  universities  of  Columbia,  California  and  Michigan.  When  the 
strength  of  its  faculty  is  taken  into  consideration,  in  connection  with 
the  attendance,  the  records  show  that  it  ranks  with  the  University  of 
California  in  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  complete  machine  for  the 
instruction  of  men  and  women  in  the  practical,  professional  and  scien- 
tific matters  of  life,  and  as  a  wonderful  force  of  inspiration  in  the  high 
realms  of  investigation  and  reflection. 

Fortunately  the  story  of  how  the  University  of  Illinois  has  developed 
from  a  small  school  devoted  to  a  modest  teaching  of  the  fundamentals 
of  literature,  agriculture  and  the  industrial  arts,  to  an  institution  which 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  241 

is  a  veritable  city  of  intellectual,  moral,  artistic,  spiritual  and  life  activi- 
ties, has  been  often  told  in  detail,  but  never  so  well  as  by  the  official 
publication  of  the  University  itself.  The  Historical  Sketch,  as  edited 
by  Dr.  Vergil  V.  Phelps,  executive  secretary  of  the  University,  and 
endorsed  by  President  Edmund  J.  James,  was  published  in  the  1916 
Directory.  As  finally  revised  by  Dr.  Phelps  it  follows:1 

GERMS  OF  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM 

The  germ  from  which  the  University  of  Illinois  has  developed  may 
be  found  in  the  clause  of  the  famous  Ordinance  of  1787,  "Eeligion,  mor- 
ality and  knowledge,  being  necessary  to  good  government  and  the  happi- 
ness of  mankind,  schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall  forever  be 
encouraged." 

This  provision,  a  half  century  before  the  appearance  of  our  public 
school  system  and  seventy-five  years  before  the  Land  Grant  Act  of  1862 
providing  for  state  universities,  was  merely  the  ideal  from  which  ideas 
might  continually  arise  until  suddenly  a  complete  state  educational  sys- 
tem emerged  in  our  national  life.  It  was  well  into  the  fifties  before 
public  schools  began  io  spread  in  Illinois,  and  even  in  the  eighties  high 
schools  were  regarded  as  questionable  necessities.  President  James 
relates  that  when  he  was  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Evanston,  Illi- 
nois, in  1878,  that  the  question  was  presented  annually  to  the  voters  of 
this  period,  not  whether  the  principal  or  superintendent  of  schools  should 
leave,  but  whether  the  people  of  a  given  locality  desired  to  continue  their 
high  school. 

However,  higher  education  was  provided  for  as  early  as  1804,  when 
Congress  made  three  districts  in  Indiana  Territory  and  directed  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury  to  locate  one  township  of  land  in  each  district 
for  the  use  of  a  seminary  of  learning.  At  this  time  Illinois  belonged 
to  Indiana  Territory.  Later,  in  1818,  when  Illinois  became  a  state,  a 
second  township  was  given  for  the  endowment  of  a  seminary,  and  also 
one-sixth  of  three  per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  of  government  lands  sold 
after  January  1,  1819. 2  This  latter  donation  to  the  state  was  to  be 
"exclusively  bestowed  upon  a  college  or  university." 


1  In   June    1917,  appeared  the  History  of  the  University  of  Illinois  by  Allen 
Nevins  in  the  Oxford  University  Series.    It  is  the  first  comprehensive  history  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  in  one  volume. 

2  See  Papers  of  the  Amer.  Hist.  Soc.  Vol.  1,  No.  3,  W.  L.  Pillsbury,  p.  36; 
111.  School  Eeport,  1887-88,  p.  CXVII. 


1—16 


242  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

EARLY  ATTEMPTS  TO  FOUND  STATE  UNIVERSITIES 

The  people  of  Illinois,  however,  made  no  attempt  to  establish  an 
institution  of  learning  with  these  funds  as  a  foundation  until  1833.  In 
that  year  a  bill  was  introduced  to  incorporate  an  institution  to  be  called 
"Illinois  University."  The  bill  met  with  strong  opposition,  as  Spring- 
field was  named  for  the  location.  Through  jealousy,  Vandalia  stirred 
up  the  opposition  of  other  neighboring  cities.  Friends  of  the  infant 
colleges  of  McKendree,  Shurtleff,  and  Illinois  looked  with  alarm  upon 
the  establishment  of  such  a  state-endowed  university;  and,  in  addition, 
the  men  in  control  of  state  affairs,  in  order  to  avoid  taxation,  had  already 
used  all  moneys  received  for  the  college  fund  and  from  the  sale  of  the 
seminary  lands  for  the  current  expenses  of  the  government.  And  any 
proposition  to  cut  off  the  use,  in  a  similar  way,  of  further  receipts  from 
the  same  source  was  decidedly  unpopular.  Furthermore,  they  would 
have  had  to  resort  to  taxation  in  order  to  restore  the  trust  funds  already 
misappropriated.  Fortunately  perhaps  for  them,  the  bill  met  with  defeat, 
and  for  several  years  after  this  the  efforts  made  to  establish  a  state  insti- 
tution of  higher  learning  were  wholly  unorganized.  The  people  took 
little  interest  in  the  matter  and  attempts  were  even  made  from  time  to 
time  to  divide  up  the  college  and  seminary  funds  among  the  colleges  of 
the  state.1 

Again,  in  1851,  the  Senate  passed  "An  Act  to  Establish  a  State 
University,"  but  upon  reconsideration  the  bill  was  laid  upon  the  table. 
An  examination  of  this  bill  shows  that  the  proposed  university  was  to 
be  a  board  of  men  to  distribute  the  income  of  the  college  and  seminary 
funds  to  the  several  colleges  of  the  state,  upon  conditions  named,  for  the 
purpose  of  educating  teachers  for  the  common  schools. 

PROPOSED  AGRICULTURAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  UNIVERSITY 

After  this  failure,  however,  a  movement  arose  to  establish  an  insti- 
tution of  a  rather  different  character.  The  Buel  Institute,  an  agricul- 
tural society  of  Putnam  County,  at  its  fair  in  September,  determined  to 
hold  a  farmers'  convention  at  Granville  in  November  "to  take  into  con- 
sideration such  measures  as  might  be  deemed  expedient  to  further  the 
interests  of  the  agricultural  community,  and  particularly  to  take  steps 
toward  the  establishment  of  an  agricultural  university."  Prof.  Jonathan 
Baldwin  Turner  of  Jacksonville  was  invited  to  be  present  and  address 


i  See  111  School  Bep.,  1887-88,  p.  CXIX. 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  243 

the  convention.  The  attitude  of  the  leaders  of  this  convention  toward 
higher  education  and  what  they  sought  to  obtain  through  their  proposed 
university  may  be  shown  by  quoting  the  resolutions  presented  by  a  com- 
mittee, of  which  Professor  Turner  was  chairman. 

"Resolved,  That  we  greatly  rejoice  in  the  degree  of  perfection  to 
which  our  various  institutions  for  the  education  of  our  brethren  engaged 
in  professional,  scientific,  and  literary  pursuits,  have  already  attained, 
and  in  the  mental  and  moral  elevation  which  those  institutions  have 
given  them,  and  in  their  consequent  preparation  and  capacity  for  the 
great  duties  in  the  spheres  of  life  in  which  they  are  engaged;  and  that 
we  will  aid,  in  all  ways  consistent,  for  the  still  greater  perfection  of 
such  institutions. 

"Resolved,  That,  as  the  representatives  of  the  industrial  classes, 
including  all  cultivators  of  the  soil,  artisans,  mechanics  and  merchants, 
we  desire  the  same  privileges  and  advantages  for  ourselves,  our  fellows 
and  our  posterity  in  each  of  the  several  callings,  as  our  professional 
brethren  enjoy  in  theirs;  and  we  admit  that  it  is  our  own  fault  that 
we  do  not  also  enjoy  them. 

"Resolved,  That,  in  our  opinion,  the  institutions  originally  and  pri- 
marily designed  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  professional  classes,  as  such, 
cannot,  in  the  nature  of  things,  meet  ours,  no  more  than  the  institu- 
tions we  desire  to  establish  for  ourselves  could  meet  theirs.  Therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  we  take  immediate  measures  for  the  establishment 
of  a  university  in  the  State  of  Illinois  expressly  to  meet  those  felt  wants 
of  each  and  all  the  industrial  classes  of  our  state;  that  we  recommend 
the  foundation  of  high  schools,  lyceums,  institutes,  etc.,  in  each  of  our 
counties,  on  similar  principles,  so  soon  as  they  may  find  it  practicable 
so  to  do. 

"Resolved,  That,  in  our  opinion,  such  institutions  can  never  impede, 
but  must  greatly  promote,  the  best  interests  of  all  those  existing  insti- 
tutions." 

PROFESSOR  TURNER'S  LEADERSHIP 

The  prominence  which  this  convention  holds  may  be  attributed 
largely  to  the  bold  and  vigorous  way  in  which  Professor  Turner  dis- 
cussed the  questions,  "What  do  the  industrial  classes  want?"  and  "How 
can  that  want  be  supplied  ?"  His  answer  to  the  first  question  was,  "They 
want,  and  they  ought  to  have,  the  same  facilities  for  understanding  the 
true  philosophy — the  science  and  the  art  of  their  several  pursuits,  their 
life  business — and  of  efficiently  applying  existing  knowledge  thereto  and 
widening  its  domain,  which  the  professional  classes  have  long  enjoyed 


244  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

in  their  pursuits."  Replying  to  the  second  question,  his  belief  was  that 
the  want  neither  could,  nor  should,  be  supplied  by  existing  institutions 
which  were  designed  to  educate  the  professional  classes,  and  whose  spirit 
was  literary  and  intellectual  as  distinguished  from  industrial  and  prac- 
tical. He  said  the  need  was  for  a  "university  for  the  industrial  classes 
in  each  of  the  states"  and  presented  his  "plan  for  the  state  university." 

This  plan  was  quite  elaborate.  It  was  insisted  upon  that  such  a 
university  would,  of  right,  receive  the  college  or  university  fund  which 
the  state  held  from  the  general  government,  and  it  was  doubtless 
intended  to  claim  also  the  seminary  fund,  though  this  is  not  stated 
distinctly. 

The  address  greatly  aroused  the  convention,  a  report  of  which,  includ- 
ing the  address  in  full,  was  published  and  widely  circulated.  The  report 
of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of  Agriculture  and  the  United  States  Patent 
Office  report  of  1851  reproduced  it;  the  New  York  Tribune  and  the 
New  York  Horticulturist  noticed  it  with  approval;  the  attention  of  the 
National  Agricultural  Association  was  called  to  it;  the  Philadelphia 
North  American  gave  it  editorial  approval,  etc.,  etc.1  Acceding  to  the 
request  of  the  convention,  the  governor,  in  summoning  an  extra  session 
of  the  Legislature  to  meet  June  7,  1852,  laid  before  that  body  the  sub- 
ject of  industrial  education  as  presented  at  the  Granville  meeting. 

At  a  second  convention,  held  at  Springfield,  June  8,  1852,  represen- 
tatives and  friends  of  some  of  the  colleges  attended  and  claimed  that 
their  institutions,  rather  than  the  proposed  new  university,  legitimately 
should  receive  the  college  fund.  They  made  a  bid  for  the  seminary 
fund,  agreeing  to  establish  teachers'  departments  if  it  were  bestowed 
upon  them.  A  discussion,  sharp  and  angry,  took  place  and  the  quarrel 
was  transferred  to  the  Legislature.  The  convention  presented  its  land 
grant  memorial  and  enlarged  the  plan  for  a  university  by  adding  a  nor- 
mal school,  to  be  co-ordinate  with  the  industrial  department,2  in  order 
to  meet  the  demand  that  the  seminary  fund  be  used  in  training  teachers 
for  the  common  schools.  The  convention  also  urged  in  its  memorial 
that  a  beginning  be  made  at  once  to  carry  into  effect  either  the  original 
plan  or  some  modification  of  it  which  the  General  Assembly  might  think 
preferable,  "and  if  possible,  on  a  sufficiently  extensive  scale  honorably  to 
justify  a  successful  appeal  to  Congress  in  conjunction  with  eminent  citi- 
zens and  statesmen  in  other  states,  who  have  expressed  their  readiness 
to  co-operate  with  us  for  an  appropriation  of  public  lands  in  each  state 


i  Univ.   Studies,   Vol.   IV,   No.   1,  November),    1910,   The   Origin   of  the   Land 
Grant  Act  of  1862,  by  Edmund  J.  James,  p.  21. 
2111.  School  Kep.  1887-88,  p.  CXXI. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  245 

in  the  Union  for  the  appropriate  endowment  of  universities  for  the  lib- 
eral education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  their  several  pursuits  in  each 
state  in  the  Union." 

In  the  Legislature,  the  House  referred  the  whole  subject  to  its  com- 
mittee on  education,  and  the  college  men  won  at  first  by  securing  from 
it  a  bill  to  divide  both  funds  among  the  existing  colleges.  But  the  result 
was  a  drawn  battle;  for  the  bill  was  laid  upon  the  table,  and  as  if  to 
be  rid  of  a  troublesome  contest,  both  Houses  joined  in  a  resolution  asking 
authority  from  Congress  to  add  both  the  college  and  seminary  funds  to 
the  common  school  fund,  so  that  the  income  from  them  might  be  forever 
given  to  the  support  of  the  public  schools. 

ILLINOIS  INDUSTRIAL  LEAGUE  ORGANIZED 

A  third  convention  was  held  in  Chicago  in  November,  1852,  at  which 
the  Industrial  League  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  with  Professor  Turner 
for  chief  director,  was  organized — the  purpose  being  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  industrial  classes.  This  convention  published  an  address 
to  the  people  of  the  state,  prepared  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature,  and 
arranged  for  petitions  both  to  the  Legislature  and  to  Congress. 

At  a  fourth  convention  held  in  Springfield,  January  4,  1853,  again 
the  request  for  an  industrial  university  was  set  forth,  and  the  Legisla- 
ture was  urged  to  memorialize  Congress,  asking  for  each  state  an  appro- 
priation of  public  lands,  of  a  value  not  less  than  $500,000  for  the  liberal 
endowment  of  an  industrial  university. 

In  1854,  Governor  Matteson  proposed  the  subject  of  industrial  edu- 
cation to  the  Legislature  for  consideration  at  its  special  session.  In  the 
following  January,  1855,  the  Industrial  League  held  a  fifth  convention 
in  Springfield  and  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  Legislature  for  "An  Act 
to  Incorporate  the  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  University."  The  trustees 
were  to  locate  the  university  and  to  receive  from  the  state  the  college 
and  seminary  funds  for  its  endowment,  on  condition  that  they  raised 
a  like  amount  from  other  sources.  They  were  also  to  receive  any  grants 
which  Congress  might  make  for  industrial  education.  The  plan  of  the 
proposed  institution  was  broad  and  liberal  as  it  appears  in  the  bill,  which 
did  not,  however,  obtain  any  definite  action  from  either  House. 

There  was  little  apparent  sympathy  in  Congress  with  this  subject, 
which  was  arousing  such  widespread  interest,  perhaps  due  to  the  fact 
that  in  1854  President  Pierce  had  vetoed  a  bill  proposing  land  grants 
to  the  states  for  establishing  asylums  for  the  indigent  insane,  and  in 
this  veto  had  used  language  which  showed  clearly  that  his  action  would 


246  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

be  the  same  toward  a  bill  providing  land  grants  to  the  states  for  col- 
leges of  agriculture  and  science. 

With  the  coming  of  a  new  President  in  1857,  friends  of  industrial 
education  again  bestirred  themselves,  and  their  measure  was  House  Bill 
No.  2,  introduced  by  Justin  S.  Morrill  of  Vermont,  a  man  from  one  of 
the  older  states  that  had  not  thus  far  benefited  by  the  land  grant  of 
the  federal  government.  It  met  with  strong  opposition,  and  the  bill  was 
finally  defeated  at  the  hands  of  President  Buchanan  who  interposed  his 
veto,  largely  upon  constitutional  grounds,1  and  it  was  considered  useless 
to  seek  for  further  action  by  Congress  while  Buchanan  was  President. 
The  bill  provided  for  a  grant  to  the  several  states  of  20,000  acres  for 
each  member  of  Congress  from  the  state,  according  to  the  apportion- 
ment to  be  made  after  the  census  of  1860.  The  states  were  to  establish 
within  five  years  not  less  than  one  college,  where  the  leading  object 
should  be  to  teach  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  without  the  exclu- 
sion of  other  scientific  and  classical  studies. 

MORRILL  BILL  PASSED 

Again,  early  in  December,  1861,  Mr.  Morrill  renewed  the  agitation 
in  favor  of  a  national  grant  of  land  to  each  state  in  the  Union  for  the 
promotion  of  education  in  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  and  secured 
the  passage  of  the  so-called  Morrill  bill  by  both  houses.  It  was  approved 
by  President  Lincoln,  July  2,  1862.  The  act  was  substantially  the  same 
as  the  previous  bill.  The  chief  differences  were  a  grant  of  30,000  acres 
of  land  for  each  member  of  Congress  instead  of  20,000 ;  the  exclusion 
of  states  in  rebellion;  and  the  requirements  of  acceptance  by  the  states 
within  two  years  instead  of  five,  and  that  instruction  be  given  in  military 
science.  The  grant  was  to  constitute  a  perpetual  fund,  the  income  of 
which  was  to  be  "inviolably  appropriated"  by  the  state  "to  the  endow- 
ment, support,  and  maintenance  of  at  least  one  college,  where  the  lead- 
ing object  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical  studies, 
and  including  military  tactics,  to  teach  such  branches  of  learning  as 
are  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such  manner  as  the 
Legislatures  of  the  states  may  respectively  prescribe  in  order  to  promote 
the  liberal  and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  sev- 
eral pursuits  and  professions  of  life."2 


1  Cong.  Gl.,  First  Session,  Thirty-fifth  Cong.  1412. 

2  Text  in  Laws  of  the  U.  S.  and  the  State  of  Illinois  Concerning  the  L'niv. 
of  111. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  247 

THE  HONOR  DUE  PROFESSOR  TURNER 

The  results  of  this  movement  may  reasonably  be  looked  upon  with 
satisfaction  and  pride,  and  great  honor  is  surely  due  to  Professor  Tur- 
ner. In  a  study  by  President  James  entitled,  "The  Origin  of  the  Land 
Grant  Act  of  1862,"  may  be  found  conclusive  evidence  that  to  "Jonathan 
B.  Turner,  the  Illinois  professor  and  farmer,  belongs  the  credit  of  having 
first  formulated  clearly  the  plan  of  a  national  grant  of  land  to  each 
state  in  the  Union  for  the  promotion  of  education  in  agriculture  and 
mechanic  arts,  and  of  having  inaugurated  the  agitation  that  made  pos- 
sible the  passage  of  the  so-called  Morrill  Act.  To  his  memory  should 
be  raised  a  monument  in  each  of  the  sixty-eight  institutions  which  have 
grown  out  of  his  effort  or  whose  power  and  usefulness  have  been  increased 
by  these  appropriations." 

It  is  well  within  the  rules  of  propriety  that  Illinoisans  congratulate 
themselves  that  the  movement  so  full  of  good  to  the  nation,  to  labor, 
and  to  youth  everywhere,  had  its  inception  here  in  Illinois;  that  from 
Illinois  came  the  demand  upon  the  federal  government;  that  to  an  Illi- 
nois senator  is  due  the  first  movement  in  its  favor  in  Congress;  and 
that  an  Illinois  President  gave  it  life  by  affixing  his  signature. 

On  February  14,  1863,  the  Legislature  formally  accepted  the  pro- 
visions made  by  Congress,  and  in  due  time  the  land  scrip  for  the  480,000 
acres,  to  which  Illinois  was  entitled,  was  sent  to  the  governor. 

But  even  after  the  passage  of  the  bill,  there  was  much  controversy 
over  the  funds  thus  made  available  for  educational  purposes.  Some 
wished  to  divide  the  fund  among  several  agricultural  colleges;  while 
others  preferred  one  college  and  favored  having  it  made  a  part  of  an 
already  existing  institution.  Questions  of  this  nature  caused  much  bit- 
ter strife.  Those  who  had  struggled  for  the  passage  of  this  bill  had 
sought  to  establish  one  institution  and  to  make  it  unlike  the  existing 
colleges  of  the  state,  and  entirely  separate  from  them.  Naturally,  they 
deprecated  any  attempt  to  divide  the  fund  or  to  use  it  in  establishing 
departments  in  existing  colleges.  The  views  of  this  party  were  embodied 
in  a  bill  drafted  by  a  committee  of  which  Jonathan  B.  Turner  was  chair- 
man and  substantially  similar  to  the  charter  finally  granted  in  1867. 
Resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  State  Agricultural  and  the  State  Hor- 
ticultural Societies  insisting  upon  one  institution,  and  opposing  an  effort 
to  divide  the  fund,  or  to  use  it  in  establishing  departments  in  existing 
colleges.  They  proposed  that  the  location  should  be  made,  after  the 
consideration  of  bids,  at  that  place  which  seemed  to  offer  the  greatest 
facilities. 


a 


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HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  249 

The  General  Assembly  of  1867  passed  a  bill  giving  any  county,  city, 
township,  or  incorporated  town  power  to  vote  bonds  and  to  make  pro- 
posals for  securing  the  location  of  the  University.  The  people  of  Cham- 
paign were  early  alert  to  the  idea  of  securing  the  institution,  and  put 
forth  every  effort  to  obtain  the  prize.  Xor  were  the  opposing  counties 
by  any  means  idle.  In  their  efforts  to  defeat  this  county,  the  latter  sent 
out  warnings  and  appeals  through  circulars  and  newspaper  articles  to 
the  people  of  the  state,  in  which  ridicule  and  derision  of  the  claims  of 
Champaign  County  formed  the  burden.  The  seminary  property — a  large 
brick  building  which  formed  a  part  of  the  offer  of  Champaign  County, 
received  the  label  "The  Champaign  Elephant,"1  and  this  epithet  was 
well  kept  before  the  people  of  the  state ;  certain  Chicago  papers  lending 
ready  and  nimble  hands  in  the  propagation  of  this  and  other  like  derog- 
atory attacks.  Champaign  County,  on  the  other  hand,  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity to  gain'  influence  and  to  make  friends  for  its  cause.  After  a  not 
altogether  creditable  contest  among  the  several  competing  counties — 
Champaign,  Logan,  McLean  and  Morgan — the  Legislature  accepted  the 
offer  of  Champaign  County,  and,  subject  to  certain  conditions?,  located 
the  University  at  Urbana. 

ILLINOIS  INDUSTRIAL  UNIVERSITY  FULLY  INCORPORATED 

Governor  Oglesby.  approved  the  act  incorporating  the  Illinois  Indus- 
trial University,  February  28,  1867.  This  act  provided  that  five  trus- 
tees were  to  be  appointed  from  each  of  the  three  grand  judicial  districts 
of  the  state,  and  one  trustee  from  each  of  the  thirteen  congressional 
districts  who,  with  the  governor,  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 
president  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society,  and  the  regent,  when 
elected,  as  ex-officio  members,  should  constitute  the  board  of  trustees. 
In  pursuance  of  the  law,  the  board  met  for  the  first  time  in  the  Repre- 
sentatives Hall  in  Springfield  on  March  12,  1867.  Governor  Oglesby, 
the  temporary  president  of  the  board,  prescribed  the  oath  to  each  mem- 
ber, according  to  the  constitution  of  1848,  then  in  force.  This  oath, 


i  Jonathan  Stoughton  had  promoted  the  erection  of  this  building  which  was 
financed  by  the  sale  of  adjoining  lots.  The  building  was  to  be  used  for  a  higher 
institution  of  learning.  The  Civil  War  interfered  with  the  scheme,  but  there  is 
little  doubt  that  if  the  building  had  not  been  already  in  existence  that  the  Legis- 
lature would  never  have  voted  to  locate  the  institution  in  Urbana-Champaagn. 
Clark  R.  Griggs  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  the  University,  since  he 
traveled  over  the  entire  State  before  the  Legislature  met  and  sacrificed  the  speak- 
ership  of  the  House  for  the  chairmanship  of  the  committee  on  the  location  of 
the  university.  He  skillfully  manoeuvered  the  vote  for  the  rival  communities 
first  and  then  when  all  were  voted  down  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  locate  the 
institution  in  Urbana. 


250  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

among  other  things,  solemnly  pledged  each  man  not  to  engage  in  dueling 
during  his  term  of  office,  and  declared  that  each  had  not  been  guilty 
of  dueling  since  the  adoption  of  that  constitution. 

DR.  JOHN  M.  GREGORY  CHOSEN  REGENT 

Under  the  law,  the  first  business  to  be  transacted  was  the  election  of 
the  regent,  or  president  of  the  University.  The  board  chose  Rev.  John 
Milton  Gregory,  LL.  D.,  a  man  of  broad  and  enlightened  views,  who  at 
the  time  was  president  of  Kalamazoo  College,  Michigan. 

Therefore,  as  the  act  provided  that  one-third  should  serve  for  a  term 
of  two  years,  one-third  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  one-third  for  a 
terms  of  six  years,1  the  trustees  drew  for  their  terms  of  office.  At  the 
first  meeting,  the  board  also  passed  the  following  resolution : 

"Resolved,  That,  sensible  of  our  dependence  on  the  Divine  blessing 
in  the  great  work  in  which  we  are  engaged,  it  should  be  a  standing  order 
of  this  board  to  commence  each  day's  proceedings  by  the  Word  of  God 
and  Prayer."  The  motion  carried  unanimously.2 

The  new  board  of  trustees,  including  Regent  Gregory,  was  largely 
chosen  from  the  laity  and  clergy  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  for  some 
time  fear  was  entertained  that  the  new  university  would  become  largely 
a  denominational  school;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  an  irreligious  institu- 
tion. However,  the  first  fear  was  groundless,  as  the  bias  in  the  actions 
of  the  board,  which  many  looked  for,  did  not  appear,  and  in  Dr.  Greg- 
ory's long  administration  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  anything  in 
his  action  tending  in  that  direction,  and  the  second  fear  was  refuted  by 
the  daily  compulsory  chapel  service  and  Sunday  afternoon  vesper  serv- 
ices at  which  Dr.  Gregory  preached. 

His  acceptance  of  the  position  as  regent  of  the  University  did  not 
occur  until  after  he  had  made  a  trip  to  Chicago  and  Champaign.  He 
said  that  in  both  these  places  only  one  opinion  was  expressed  to  him, 
and  that  was,  that  this  new  institution  was  to  be  "the  grandest  university 
on  the  American  continent."  He  accepted  the  election  and  became  the 
first  regent  of  what  was  then  the  Illinois  Industrial  University,  serving 
as  its  executive  head  from  April  1,  1867,  a  year  before  the  institution 
was  formally  opened,  until  1880. 


1  Eep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1868,  pp.  16,  19. 

2  The  popular  accusations  brought  against  the  university  in  these  early  days 
were  paradoxical  charges  that  it  was   (1)    a  Baptist  nursery,  and   (2)    a  school 
for  infidelity. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  251 

BIOGRAPHY  OF  JOHN  MILTON  GREGORY 

John  Milton  Gregory  was  born  at  Sand  Lake,  New  York,  July  6, 
1822.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Union  College,  and  a  pupil  of  Eliphalet 
Nott,  one  of  the  greatest  educators  of  his  day.  He  studied  law  from 
1836  to  1848,  and  later,  after  some  time  spent  in  the  study  of  theology, 
he  entered  the  Baptist  ministry.  For  a  time  he  taught  in  a  secondary 
school  in  Michigan,  and  in  1858  was  elected  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  of  that  state.  He  held  this  position  until  1863,  when 
he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  Kalamazoo  College.  He  received  his 
degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1866.  After  serv- 
ing this  college  for  four  years,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  regent 
of  the  University. 

Dr.  Gregory  was  a  man  of  high  ideals  and  broad  sympathies,  of 
great  vigor  and  considerable  oratorical  ability,  and  his  general  plan  of 
university  organization  has  continued  to  the  present  day.  His  personal 
influence  upon  the  student  body  was  marked.  His  vision  of  what  a 
State  University  should  be  was  far-reaching. 

During  the  year  following  his  election  to  the  regency,  and  previous 
to  the  opening  of  the  University,  not  only  were  the  plans  for  the  insti- 
tution pushed  forward  at  the  seat  of  the  proposed  university,  but 
Dr.  Gregory  also  traveled  over  the  state,  seeking  to  interest  young  men 
everywhere  in  securing  a  higher  education.  Many  of  the  addresses 
which  he  made  were  delivered  from  the  rear  end  of  a  farmer's  wagon 
at  a  county  fair.  To  many  young  men  who  afterwards  came  to  the 
University  and  who  have  since  been  of  great  value  to  their  state,  the 
appeal  came  from  the  lips  of  this  college  president  on  some  such  occa- 


sion.1 


One  of  the  first  great  tasks  of  Dr.  Gregory  was  to  prepare  an  out- 
line of  the  general  aims  of  the  new  university,  and  a  course  of  study. 
This  he  did,  as  chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  board.  The 
following  departments  and  courses  of  study  were  suggested  to  be  devel- 
oped as  soon  as  practicable. 

PROPOSED  DEPARTMENTS  AND  COURSES 

I.     The  Agricultural  Department,  embracing — 

1.  The  course  in  Agriculture  proper 

2.  The  course  in  Horticulture   and   Landscape   Gardening 

1  Alumni  Quarterly,  Vol.  IV,  Makers  of  the  University,  by  Henry  Mahan 
Beardsley,  '79,  p.  5. 


252  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

II.     The  Polytechnic  Department,  embracing — 

1.  The  course  in  Mechanical  Science  and  Art 

2.  The  course  in  Civil  Engineering 

3.  The  course  in  Mining  and  Metallurgy 

4.  The  course  in  Architecture  and  Fine  Arts 

III.  The  Military  Department,  embracing — 

1.  The  course  in  Military  Engineering 

2.  The  course  in  Tactics 

IV.  The  Department  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  Science 
V.     The  Department  of  Trade  and  Commerce 

VI.     The  Department  of  General  Science  and  Literature,  embrac- 
ing— 

1.  The  course  in  Mathematics 

2.  The  course  in  Natural  History,  Chemistry,  etc. 

3.  The  course  in  English  Language  and  Literature 

4.  The  course  in  Modern  Language  and  Literature 

5.  The  course  in  Ancient  Language  and  Literature 

6.  The  course  in  History  and  Social  Science 

7.  The  course  in  Philosophy,  Intellectual  and  Moral  x 

The  report  of  this  course  of  study  committee  caused  considerable 
excitement  among  the  people.  The  idea  of  teaching  "English  Litera- 
ture" and  "Ancient  and  Modern  Languages  and  Literatures"  proved  as 
the  red  flag  to  the  infuriated  bull  of  the  story.  The  institution  was 
denounced  as  no  more  than  one  of  the  "old  colleges"  and  the  question 
was  derisively  asked,  "Why  add,  by  a  public  grant  of  lands,  to  these 
old  institutions,  of  which  the  people  already  have  too  many?"  It  is 
probably  due  to  the  warfare  aroused  by  this  course  of  study  that  only 
fifty-seven  were  enrolled  at  the  opening  of  the  University  on  March  11, 
1868,  and  of  these,  forty-five  were  from  Champaign  County.  Untrue 
and  sensational  tales  were  told  and  believed,  greatly  to  the  discredit 
of  the  new  University.  Many  demanded  that  the  classics  should  be 
excluded  from  the  course  of  study;  others  that  they  should  be  tolerated, 
but  not  cherished.  By  some  it  was  claimed  that  the  students  of  belles- 
lettres  would  constitute  an  aristocratic  class  in  that  institution  and  that 
the  students  of  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  would  be  looked  upon  as 
inferiors.  The  dissatisfaction  showed  itself  in  newspaper  articles  and 
in  public  addresses.  Dissensions  took  place  in  the  board  of  trustees. 
Finally,  in  1870,  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  several  county  agri- 
cultural societies  met  at  Bloomington  to  consider  the  past,  present  and 
future  condition  of  the  Illinois  Industrial  University.  Dr.  Gregory 
attended  this  convention  and  delivered  an  address.  He  explained  at 

i  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1868,  p.  50. 


HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  253 

length  the  act  creating  the  University  and  the  course  of  study,  answered 
some  reasonable  questions,  and  as  a  result  very  much  improved  the 
existing  feeling.  They  appointed  a  committee  to  visit  and  investigate 
the  institution  and  report  thereon.  This  committee's  report  served 
greatly  to  strengthen  the  University  as,  for  instance:  "We  found  196 
male  students  in  attendance;  .  .  .  fourteen  young  ladies.  .  .  . 
About  fifty  of  the  students  present  were  in  the  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural departments,  fifty-four  in  mechanical  and  civil  engineering, 
sixty-five  in  chemistry,  fifteen  in  comparative  anatomy,  138  in  mathe- 
matics, twenty-three  in  military  tactics,  fifty  in  the  commercial  depart- 
ment, ninety-two  in  English,  sixty-three  in  German,  twenty-six  in 
French  and  twenty  in  Latin;  none  in  Greek.  Prom  this  statement  it 
appears  that  only  one-tenth  of  the  students  are  studying  the  classics  at 
all;  and  inasmuch  as  each  student  pursues  three  studies,  only  one-thir- 
tieth of  the  working  force  of  the  institution  is  expended  upon  the  ancient 
languages,  whereas  in  an  ordinary  college,  from  half  to  two-thirds  of 
the  working  force  would  be  so  expended. 

"We  were  further  assured  by  the  acting  regent  that  it  is  the  full 
purpose  of  the  faculty  to  fulfill  all  laws  enacted  for  the  government  of 
the  institution,  and  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  industrial  classes 
by  making  it,  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  an  industrial  school  in  con- 
tradistinction to  the  ordinary  colleges  and  professional  schools  of  the 
country."  1 

The  subjects  actually  taught  at  the  opening  of  the  University  were 
algebra,  geometry,  natural  philosophy,  history,  rhetoric  and  Latin,  and 
the  work  was  carried  on  in  the  brick  building  which  was  the  donation 
of  Champaign  County.  This  building  also  served  as  a  dormitory  and 
came  to  be  known  as  the  Old  Dormitory  building. 

Owing  to  the  belief  that  it  is  the  separation  of  the  theoretical  and 
practical  which  renders  so  much  education  mere  "book  learning,"  the 
board  of  trustees  decided  that  a  manual  labor  system  should  be  thor- 
oughly tried,  and  all  students  not  excused  for  physical  disability  were 
required  to  labor  from  one  to  three  hours  a  day.  The  students  went 
out  in  squads,  under  their  military  officers,  and  under  the  general  super- 
vision of  members  of  the  faculty.  The  maximum  compensation  of  such 
labor  was  8  cents  an  hour.  Many  students  worked  voluntarily  over 
hours,  and  received  for  such  over-work  121/2  cents  an  hour.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  labor  was  made  wholly  voluntary,  except  as  it  was  a 
part  of  some  course  of  study,  as  the  shop  practice  in  the  course  of 
mechanical  science  and  art. 


i  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1869,  p.  62. 


254  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

STUDENT'S  GOVERNMENT  SYSTEM 

In  matters  of  discipline  Dr.  Gregory  believed  in  treating  the  stu- 
dents as  men,  and  in  appealing  to  their  manhood  for  the  maintenance 
of  good  order.  His  love  of  freedom  showed  itself  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Students'  Government  System,  first  tried  in  1870.  By  permis- 
sion of  the  faculty,  the  general  assembly  of  the  students  was  organized, 
and  a  constitution  adopted  providing  for  the  election  of  a  president, 
vice-president,  secretary  and  marshal.  There  was  also  a  senate  of  twenty- 
one  members,  and  a  court  consisting  of  a  chief  justice  and  two  associate 
judges.  Under  this  constitution,  the  senate  enacted  laws,  which  became 
valid  only  when  approved  by  the  regent  of  the  University.  All  offenses 
against  these  laws  were  tried  before  the  students'  court,  and  punished 
by  fines  according  to  the  claims  of  offense.  Cases  requiring  the  severer 
penalties  of  suspension  or  expulsion  from  the  University  were  referred 
to  the  faculty,  and  students  refusing  to  pay  the  fines  imposed  by  the 
students'  government  were  suspended  from  University  privileges.  For 
a  time  this  system  of  government  worked  admirably,  but  later  politics 
crept  in  and  perverted  justice,  and  the  system  was  abandoned  in  1883. 

The  faculty  for  the  first  term  consisted  of  the  regent,  two  instruc- 
tors, a  head  farmer  and  two  non-resident  lecturers.  A  decided  contrast 
in  numbers  with  our  faculty  of  today !  The  two  towns  likewise  pre- 
sented a  very  different  appearance.  Street  pavements  were  not  laid  until 
some  twenty  years  later;  the  buildings,  for  the  most  part,  were  of  the 
cheaper  grade  of  scantling  frames ;  and  the  streets  themselves  were  more 
often  adorned  by  wood  piles  than  by  sidewalks.  Stock  of  all  kinds  ran 
at  large  in  both  towns  and  in  the  country,  so  that  all  houses  were  securely 
fenced  to  keep  out  the  predatory  cows  and  hogs. 

WOMEN  FIRST  ADMITTED 

Women  were  not  at  first  admitted  to  the  University.  In  1869  the 
question  of  their  admission  was  raised,,  and  after  a  lengthy  discussion, 
upon  the  motion  of  Mr.  John  S.  Johnson,1  it  was  settled  in  the  affirma- 
tive in  March,  1870.  The  story  is  told  that  a  group  of  boys,  much 
interested  in  the  outcome  of  the  discussion,  listened  to  the  deliberations 
of  the  trustees  through  a  friendly  stove-pipe  hole,  and  when  the  vote 
was  finally  taken,  and  announced  as  favorable  to  the  young  women,  an 
approving  shout  was  heard  from  the  gallant  fellows  above.2  Girls 

i  Eep.   of  Univ.  of  111.,   1870,  p.  84. 

-  Facts  for  Freshmen  Concerning  the  Univ.  of  111.,  by  T.  A.  Clarke,  p.  7. 


THE  PRESENT  WOMAN'S  BUILDING 


256  HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ever  since  have  been  thus  kindly  received,  and  their  presence  has  come 
to  be  viewed  as  a  matter  of  course.  In  the  first  year,  twenty-two  were 
registered;  while  during  the  year  1916-17,  their  attendance  has  increased 
to  1,641,  out  of  the  total  number  of  6,828,  or  nearly  one-fifth  of  the 
whole  enrollment  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  Thus  their  early 
kindly  reception  seems  to  have  been  appreciated. 

In  spite  of  the  prominence  of  agriculture  in  the  state  and  the 
important  part  which  the  farmers  took  in  the  industrial  movement, 
the  agricultural  department  languished.  The  proportion  of  agri- 
cultural students  during  the  first  decade  was  insignificant. 

COLLEGE  OF  ENGINEERING  FOUNDED 

Meanwhile  the  engineering  courses  developed  rapidly.  Stillman 
W.  Eobinson,  elected  to  the  professorship  of  Mechanical  Engineering  in 
1869,  may  be  regarded  as  the  real  founder  of  the  College  of  Engineer- 
ing. He  appreciated  the  educational  possibilities  of  shop  work  and 
made  it  a  part  of  the  engineering  instruction.  In  January,  1870,  a 
mechanical  shop  was  fitted  up  with  tools  and  machinery.  Dr.  Peabody, 
in  speaking  of  it,  says,  "It  is  probable  that  tool  or  machine  instruction 
was  first  given  in  America  at  the  Worcester  Free  Institute,  which  was 
formally  inaugurated  in  November,  1868,  six  months  after  the  inau- 
guration of  this  University.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  that  Pro- 
fessor Eobinson's  practice  shop  had  any  other  predecessor  in  this 
country."  In  the  summer  of  1871  the  mechanical  building  and  drill 
hall  (burned  on  June  9,  1909)  were  erected  and  equipped  for  students' 
shop  work  in  both  wood  and  iron,  and  for  military  drill. 

MAIN  UNIVERSITY  BUILDING  COMPLETED 

The  Legislature,  in  its  session  the  same  year,  authorized  the  con- 
struction of  the  main  University  building,  according  to  the  plans  and 
estimates,  laid  before  it,  at  a  cost  of  $150,000.  They  appropriated 
$75,000,  and  provided  that  the  $75,000  additional  should  be  appropriated 
at  the  next  meeting.  Work  on  the  building  was  commenced,  but  the 
Legislature  failed  to  make  the  expected  additional  appropriation.  A 
broad,  white  streak  on  the  west  wall  remains  the  indelible  record  of 
the  time  when  the  work  could  go  no  further.  It  was  deemed  advisable 
to  provide  temporarily  for  the  continuance  of  the  work  by  the  sale  of 
the  Champaign  County  bonds.  This  was  done,  and  the  work  was 
resumed.  Every  effort  was  made  that  this  money  should  be  repaid  by 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  257 

the  State,  but  such  efforts  were  unavailing.  The  building  was  finished 
and  dedicated  December  10,  1873.1 

The  other  of  the  larger  buildings  erected  during  this  period  was 
the  Chemical  Laboratory,  which  was  authorized  by  the  Legislature  of 
1877  and  dedicated  at  the  commencement  in  1878.  Its  cost,  when  fitted 
and  furnished,  was  $40,000.  There  were  other  smaller  appropriations 
made  during  the  period,  which  were  used  in  the  construction  of  a  house 
and  barn  on  the  horticultural  grounds,  a  gardener's  house,  a  green- 
house, and  a  barn  for  the  agricultural  department. 

A  re-organization  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  occurred  in  1873.  The 
number  of  members  was  reduced  from  31  to  11 — The  Governor  and 
the  President  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  ex  officio,  and  nine 
others,  who  were  still  appointed  by  the  Governor.2  Beginning  at  this 
time  also,  the  President  of  the  Board  was  chosen  by  the  members  from 
among  their  own  number  for  a  term  of  one  year.  At  the  meeting  held 
July  10,  1873,  Emory  Cobb  was  elected  the  new  president.  He  gave 
much  time  and  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  University  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century. 

THE  FOUR  PIONEER  COLLEGES 

At  the  end  of  the  first  five  years  the  organization  of  the  Uni- 
versity consisted  of  four  colleges — the  College  of  Agriculture,  of 
Engineering,  of  Natural  Science,  and  of  Literature  and  Science.  These 
were  subdivided  as  follows: 

The  College  of  Agriculture  embraced  the  Schools  of  Agriculture 
and  Horticulture. 

The  College  of  Engineering  included  the  four  Schools  of  Mechanical, 
Civil,  and  Mining  Engineering  and  Architecture. 

The  College  of  Natural  Science  included  the  School  of  Chemistry 
and  the  School  of  Natural  History. 

The  College  of  Literature  and  Arts  and  Science  embraced  the  School 
of  Modern  Language  and  Literature  and  the  School  of  Ancient 
Language  and  Literature. 

Besides  these,  there  were  the  Schools  of  Commercial  Science,  the 
School  of  Military  Science,  and  a  School  of  Domestic  Economy.  The 
instruction  in  the  last  named  school  began  with  the  college  year  1872- 
'73.  The  full  course  in  the  beginning  embraced  general  literary  work 
while  in  the  second  and  third  years  lectures  on  topics  of  domestic 


1  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.  1888,  Hist.  Address  by  Selim  H.  Peabody,  p.  207. 

2  Laws  of  the  U.  S.  and  State  of  111.  Concerning  the  Univ.  of  111.,  p.  37. 


1—17 


258  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

economy  took  the  place  of  the  mathematical  studies.  This  was  the 
first  School  of  Domestic  Economy  of  high  grade,  and  with  a  complete 
course,  organized  in  the  United  States,  if  not  the  first  in  the  world. 

Admission  requirements  at  first  were  very  low  in  all  departments; 
but  fewer  than  half  the  students  of  the  earlier  years  were  able  to  meet 
them,  and  members  of  the  faculty  found  themselves  overloaded  with 
elementary  work  to  the  detriment  of  higher  instruction.  In  accord- 
ance with  Dr.  Gregory's  views,  the  entrance  requirements  were  gradu- 
ally advanced,  and  in  1875  a  preparatory  year  was  instituted  which 
later  developed  into  the  Academy.  Candidates  in  the  preparatory 
classes  had  to  be  fifteen  years  of  age  and  be  able  to  pass  satisfactory 
examinations  in  arithmetic,  geography,  English  grammar,  and  United 
States  history.  Like  other  institutions  of  the  Middle  West,  Illinois, 
after  some  experiments,  adopted  the  "accredited  school"  system.  The 
first  school  so  accredited  was  the  Princeton  High  School,  and  by  1880 
the  number  had  increased  to  twenty-two.1 

In  the  early  days  of  the  institution,  the  elective  system  predom- 
inated. Although  liberty  had  its  risks,  it  was  "not  thought  useful  or 
right  to  attempt  to  urge  every  student,  without  regard  to  his  capacity, 
tastes,  or  practical  wants,  to  take  entire  some  lengthened  curriculum."2 
But  gradually  this  system  of  complete  freedom  was  modified,  and 
students  who  desired  to  "graduate,"  were  required  to  complete  some 
one  of  the  courses  outlined  in  the  catalog.  The  introduction  of 
academic  degrees  at  the  commencement  'of  1878  strengthened  this 
tendency.  Distinct  courses  were  then  defined,  to  each  of  which  a  degree 
was  given. 

According  to  the  original  state  law,  the  usual  diplomas  and  degrees 
could  not  be  given  by  the  University.  Certificates  showing  the  studies 
pursued  and  the  attainments  in  each  were  given  instead.  But  this  was 
a  new  dispensation  which  the  great  world  was  unwilling  to  accept.  The 
graduates  found  their  paper  not  current  in  the  market.  The  name  of 
the  institution  was  persistently  misinterpreted.  The  regent  had  to 
be  at  all  times  prepared  to  show  that  he  was  not  only  a  trustee  of  the 
people  but  also  their  servant.  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  when  the 
earlier  professors  went  to  the  State  Teachers'  Association  and  sought 
admission  to  the  college  section,  it  was  denied  them  because  an  institu- 
tion that  gave  no  degrees  had  no  rightful  claim  to  call  itself  a  college.3 


1  Rep.  of  the  Univ.  of  111.,  1880,  p.  44. 

2  Fourth  Annual  Circular,  pp.  25-27. 

3  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1888,  Hist.  Address  by  Selim  H.  Peabody,  p.  207. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  259 

AUTHORIZED  TO  GRANT  DEGREES 

In  1877  the  alumni  petitioned  the  Legislature  to  give  the  University 
authority  to  grant  degrees.  The  authority  was  given,  and  a  fee  of  $5.00 
required  for  each  diploma.1  Graduation  with  a  certificate  was  still 
permitted  to  those  who  had  obtained  the  requisite  number  of  term 
credits,  but  not  in  subjects  prescribed  for  any  particular  degree. 

EARLIEST  LITERARY  SOCIETIES 

The  social  life  during  this  period,  was,  in  the  main,  simple  and 
democratic.  A  number  of  student  organizations  were  formed,  many  of 
which  are  still  in  existence.  The  earliest  literary  societies  were  the 
Adelphic  and  Philomathean  organized  in  March,  1869.  Two  years 
later  the  women  of  the  University  organized  the  Alethenai.  In  the 
same  year  (1871)  the  University  band  furnished  its  first  music  for 
commencement.  The  first  student  publication  appeared  in  November, 
1871,  and  was  known  as  The  Student  and  published .  monthly.  The 
paper  two  years  later  changed  its  name  to  The  Illini.  The  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  and  the  Agricultural  Society  date  back  to 
the  same  year.  In  1874,  there  was  organized  an  association  for  the 
advancement  of  telegraph,  known  as  the  Illinois  Industrial  University 
Telegraphic  Association.  Instruments  on  the  line  numbered  twenty- 
five,  and  the  central  offices  were  open  for  practice  all  hours  of  the  day. 

PROFESSOR  S.  W.  SHATTUCK 

In  the  fall  of  1868  Professor  Samuel  Walter  Shattuck  came  to  the 
University  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Instructor  in 
Military  Tactics.  Three  years  later,  he  became  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics and  continued  to  serve  the  University  in  this  department  to 
Sept.  1,  1912.  He  also  filled  various  other  positions.  He  was  Pro- 
fessor of  Civil  Engineering  for  the  year  1869-70.  He  was  Acting  Pres- 
ident for  six  months  in  1873,  and  served  as  the  first  Vice  President 
from  1889  to  1894.  He  became  the  financial  manager  in  1873.  A 
high  sense  of  honor  and  true  loyalty  in  service  have  been  embodied  in 
his  career,  and  the  University  very  appropriately  showed  its  apprecia- 
tion of  him  by  conferring  upon  him  in  June,  1912,  the  highest  honor 
it  can  bestow,  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  He  died  Feb.  13,  1915. 


i  Eep.   of   Univ.   of  111.,  1878,  p. 


260  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

No  sketch  of  the  University  would  be  complete  without  the  mention 
of  Edward  Snyder,  who  was  appointed  at  the  same  November  meeting 
in  1868  as  Professor  Shattuck.  His  primary  interest  was  in  modern 
languages,  but  the  exigencies  of  the  time  compelled  him  to  teach  a 
great  variety  of  subjects  as  remote  as  bookkeeping  and  military  tactics. 
He  was  a  most  sympathetic  adviser  and  friend  of  the  students.  He 
continually  gave  or  lent  them  money;  and  in  1890,  three  years  after 
his  retirement  from  active  service,  he  gave  to  the  University  $12,000, 
to.  be  loaned  to  needy  students.  He  died  in  1903. 

Professor  Nathan  Clifford  Eicker  began  his  work  as  Instructor  in 
Architecture  in  the  University  in  March,  1873.  He  has  twice  acted 
as  Dean  of  the  College  of  Engineering.  Many  of  the  University  build- 
ings have  been  constructed  after  plans  drawn  by  him.  Professor  Ira 
Osborn  Baker  came  to  the  University  as  Assistant  in  Civil  Engineering 
and  Physics  in  September,  1874,  after  having  graduated  the  spring 
before.  Thus  two  of  the  present  faculty  have  been  connected  with  the 
institution  approximately  forty  years. 

* 

DR.  GREGORY'S  ADMINISTRATION 

The  period  of  Dr.  Gregory's  administration  is  not  marked  as  one 
of  great  prosperity  financially.  The  University  was  the  owner  of 
480,000  acres  of  land  scrip.  The  Board  of  Trustees  proposed  at  first 
to  locate  50,000  acres  of  its  land  scrip,  and  to  sell  the  rest;  but  the 
pressure  for  funds  was  so  great  that  it  located  but  25,000  acres,  about 
9,000  being  in  the  state  of  Nebraska  and  16,000  in  the  state  of  Minne- 
sota. The  large  amount  of  land  scrip  thrown  upon  the  market  by  this 
and  other  land  grant  universities  had  greatly  depreciated  its  value,1 
and  the  455,000  acres  sold  brought  but  $319,178.87,  or  seventy  cents 
an  acre. 

As  fast  as  the  cash  was  received  it  was  invested  in  such  securities 
as  the  law  demanded,  and  the  rate  of  interest  then  current  in  the  state, 
eight  to  ten  per  cent,  yielded  from  $25,000  to  $30,000  per  annum  and 
was  utilized  for  the  payment  of  current  expenses  of  instruction.  The 
money  panic  of  1873  did  not  seriously  affect  the  finances  of  the  Uni- 
versity until  about  1877,  when  debtors  began  to  refund  their  loans  at 
lower  rates  of  interest.  In  this  way,  the  income  of  the  University  was 
largely  diminished.  During  the  year  1878  the  expenditures  were  found 
to  be  $3,500  in  excess  of  the  income.  No  surplus  funds  were  on  hand 


illl.  School  Eep.,  1887-88,,  p.  CXLIII. 


HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  261 

and  there  was  no  prospect  of  increasing  the  interest  on  the  endowment 
fund.  Something  had  to  be  done.  So  it  seemed  best  to  reduce  some- 
what the  salaries  of  the  teaching  force.  Dr.  Gregory  suggested  that 
the  reduction  should  begin  with  himself,  not  because  his  salary  was 
the  largest,  but  rather  because  he  would  prefer  to  see  his  own  compensa- 
tion reduced  20  to  25  per  cent  than  the  already  too  meager  salaries  of 
his  associates  lessened.  The  reduction  of  $3,500  was  made  by  taking 
small  amounts  from  the  various  salaries  and  departments,  and  at  the 
request  of  the  regent,  $400  from  his  own  salary.  Places  which  became 
vacant  were  left  so.  Certain  departments  were  cut  off— those  of  mining 
commerce,  and  domestic  economy.  The  fees  of  students  were  raised. 
Economy  in  its  most  rigid  form  was  practiced  everywhere. 

Meanwhile  the  internal  condition  of  affairs  became  gloomy.  The 
cordial  agreement  which  had  existed  between  the  students  and  the 
regent  and  faculty  became  strained,  and  finally  open  rebellion  occurred. 

Under  these  discouraging  circumstances  Dr.  Gregory  submitted  his 
resignation  at  the  June  commencement  1880  and  it  was  immediately 
accepted  by  the  Board.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  where  he  served  on  the  commission  of  education,  for  a 
time,  and  from  1895-7  was  acting  president  of  Pennsylvania  State 
College.  He  died  in  Washington  October  19,  1898.  On  Sunday,  the 
23d  of  October  of  that  year,  a  memorial  convocation  was  held  in  the  old 
University  Chapel,  and  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  in  ground  just  west 
of  University  Hall.  In  speaking  of  him,  the  alumni  of  the  University, 
gathered  in  Chicago,  expressed  themselves  as  follows: 

"Full  of  years  and  honor,  like  a  shock  of  ripened  corn  in  an 
abundant  year,  our  beloved  instructor  and  friend,  Dr.  John  M.  Gregory, 
the  founder  and  first  regent  (president)  of  our  Alma  Mater,  has  been 
gathered  to  his  fathers."1 

Dr.  Gregory  served  the  University  for  thirteen  long  and  hard  years, 
at  a  time  when  wisdom,  foresight,  promptness,  enthusiasm,  and  courage 
— all  the  characteristics  of  a  competent  leader — were  in  most  urgent 
demand,  and  in  none  of  these  respects  was  he  found  wanting. 

BIOGEAPHY  OF  DR.  S.  H.  PEABODY 

Upon  his  resignation  the  Board  appointed  Dr.  Selim  Hobart  Pea- 
body,  formerly  Professor  of  Physics  and  Mechanical  Engineering, 
Regent  pro  tempore.  Dr.  Peabody  was  born  at  Eockingham,  Vermont, 


i  Alumni  Quarterly,  Vol.  IV,  January,  1910,  p.  11. 


262  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

August  20,  1829.  He  spent  one  year  in  the  Public  Latin  School  of 
Boston,  but  owing  to  his  father's  death,  circumstances  compelled  him 
to  leave  school  and  help  earn  a  livelihood  for  himself  and  others. 
After  working  five  years  he  entered  the  University  of  Vermont  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  and  graduated  in  1852.  The  next  two  years  were  spent, 
first,  as  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  and  then  as 
teacher  in  the  Collegiate  Institute  at  Fairfax,  Vt.  In  1854  he  became 
Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Physics  in  the  Polytechnic  College  of 
Philadelphia.  Three  years  later  he  accepted  the  position  of  Chief  Clerk 
in  the  United  States  land  office  at  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin.  In  1859  he 
took  charge  of  the  city  school  at  Fond  du  Lac,  and  in  1862  he  became 
superintendent  of  schools  at  Eacine,  Wis.  Three  years  later  he  became 
an  instructor  in  the  City  high  school.  On  March  11,  1868 — Inaugura- 
tion Day — he  was  offered  the  professorship  of  mechanical  science  and 
engineering  in  the  Illinois  Industrial  University.  This  he  declined, 
but  in  1871  he  went  to  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  at 
Amherst  as  Professor  of  Physics  and  Civil  Engineering,  where  he 
remained  three  years,  and  then  returned  to  his  old  position  in  Chicago. 
In  1877  he  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont.  On  the  10th  of  October,  1878,  he  accepted  the 
appointment  of  Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering  and  Physics  in  Illi- 
nois Industrial  University  and  served  in  this  capacity  until  the  close 
of  March,  1880,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  work  of  editor-in-chief 
of  what  later  became  the  International  Cyclopedia.  On  July  27th,  of 
this  year,  he  was  reappointed  to  the  same  professorship  and  made  regent 
pro  tempore,  assuming  the  new  duties  on  August  15th.  The  following 
March,  1881,  he  was  elected  regent  of  the  University  and  continued  as 
such  until  he  presented  his  resignation  June  10,  1891.1 

Almost  all  of  his  adult  life,  to  the  time  of  his  election  to  the  regency, 
had  been  spent  in  teaching  and  accompanying  activities.  It  is  said 
that  at  the  time  of  his  appointment  he  could  have  taught  successfully 
any  subject  offered  in  the  curriculum  of  the  institution. 

THE  PEABODY  ADMINISTRATION 

Dr.  Peabody  encountered  numerous  annoyances  and  difficulties  dur- 
ing his  regime.  In  the  beginning,  many  of  the  students  assumed  a 
questioning  attitude  toward  him.  The  seniors  were  said  to  have  held  a 
meeting  to  determine  whether  they  would  return  or  not,  but  kindly  con- 

i  Alumni  Quarterly,  Vol.  V,  July,  1910,  Makers  of  the  Univ.,  by  Thomas  J. 
Burrill,  p.  203ff. 


HISTOKY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  263 

sented  to  give  the  new  man  a  trial.1  The  first  serious  hitch  came  from 
a  clash  between  certain  secret  fraternities  and  the  court  of  the  organized 
students'  government.  As  a  result,  the  regent  recommended,  and  the 
trustees  approved,  a  ruling  that  no  student  could  enter  the  University 
until  he  had  pledged  himself  not  to  join  a  fraternity,  and  that  no 
student  should  be  graduated  until  he  certified  that  he  had  not  belonged 
to  any  fraternity  while  in  the  University.  The  adoption  of  these  rules 
disclosed  the  existence  of  four  such  organizations.  Their  members 
petitioned  the  faculty  to  repeal  the  rules,  but  the  faculty  only  turned 
their  petitions  over  to  the  Board,  which  recommended  that  their  requests 
be  refused.  The  rule  was  strenuous,  and  was  not  repealed  until  Sep- 
tember, 1891. 2  From  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  rule,  more  or  less 
antagonism  existed,  directed  chiefly  toward  the  regent,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  execute  the  mandate.  Unfortunately  for  him,  he  was  a  man 
sufficiently  sensitive  to  criticism  to  find  it  discomforting. 

Another  occurrence,  trivial  in  itself,  also  inflicted  no  little  injury. 
One  of  the  cadet  captains  in  the  military  organization  failed  to  receive 
an  examination  grade  sufficient  to  permit  him  to  continue  in  his  official 
position.  His  brother  officers  undertook  to  compel  his  re-instatement 
by  entering  upon  what  we  would  call  a  strike.  Dissatisfied  students 
were  allowed  to  take  their  grievances  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  it 
in  turn  sat  as  a  sort  of  high  court,  and  in  effect,  put  the  faculty  upon 
trial.  In  this  case,  a  matter  which  should  have  been  adjusted  without 
great  difficulty,  became  unnecessarily  burdensome. 

President  Peabody  systematized  administrative  affairs,  instituted 
improved  book-keeping  and  gathered  up  loose  ends  everywhere.  He 
personally  attended  to  numerous  details.  Dr.  T.  J.  Burrill,  in  writing 
of  his  work,  said  that  "throughout  his  administration  he  had  no 
stenographer.  The  University  did  not  own  during  his  time  a  type- 
writing machine.  The  official  correspondence  was  mainly  conducted  in 
his  own  handwriting.  There  was  no  registrar.  At  the  beginning  of 
each  term  he  personally  issued  class  permits  and  at  the  close  recorded 
class  grades.  Aside  from  his  headship  in  the  department  of  Mechanical 
Engineering  and  Physics,  he  taught  classes  (during  different  terms)  in 
Mechanics  and  Hydraulics  and  Mental  Science,  the  latter  subject  being 
required  of  all  seniors.  It  is  little  wonder  that  there  was  not  much 
time  for  effective  campaigning  outside  or  f or "  dreaming  of  future  great- 
ness." 

But  in  spite  of  many  obstacles,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  these 


1  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1888,  Hist.  Address  by  President  Peabody,  p.  210. 

2  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1892,  p.  151. 


264  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

were  days  of  small  things  educationally,  progress  was  made  during  his 
administration.  In  1879-80  there  were  434  students  (reduced  in 
1880-81  to  379),  and  26  teachers  of  all  grades,  of  whom  15  were  of 
professional  rank;  in  1890-91,  there  were  519  students  and  40 
instructors,  24  of  whom  were  of  professional  rank.  Thus  there  was  a 
gain  in  students  of  19.6  per  cent  and  in  the  corps  of  instruction  of  53.9 
per  cent,  and  for  those  having  professional  rank,  60  per  cent.  For  the 
first  named  year  the  total  income  from  all  sources  was  about  $60,650 ; 
for  the  last  named,  $124,600,  or  146  per  cent  gain.  The  total  legis- 
lative appropriation  for  the  session  of  1879  was  $25,500;  that  for  the 
session  of  1891  was  $147,200.  This  latter  figure  included  $70,000  for 
the  Natural  History  Building,  but  excluding  this,  the  gain  was  $51,700, 
or  203  per  cent.1 

Before  President  Peabody's  administration,  all  state  appropriations 
had  been  clearly  for  specified  purposes  and  exclusive  salaries  for  instruc- 
tion. At  the  legislative  session  of  1881,  the  trustees  resolved  to  ask  in 
addition  to  the  usual  sums,  for  an  appropriation  for  the  current  expenses 
of  instruction.  The  Legislature  granted  the  sum  of  $11,400  to  help 
cover  the  amount  of  the  loss  suffered  by  the  University  because  of  the 
reduction  in  the  interest  on  its  investments.2  The  next  Legislature  was 
asked  for  $14,000,  for  the  same  purpose,  and  the  grant  was  made. 
During  the  biennial  periods  which  followed,  the  sums  of  $24,000, 
$32,000,3  and  $40,000  were  allowed,  respectively. 

Appropriations  for  buildings  were  small,  and  were  slow  in  coming. 
After  much  persuasion  and  political  wire  pulling  on  the  part  of  the 
regent  and  his  local  aids,  $10,000  was  secured  for  a  Drill  Hall  in 
1889.  This  caused  great  rejoicing.  During  the  year  the  students 
purchased  and  placed  in  the  Drill  Hall  $125  worth  of  gymnastic 
apparatus,  the  money  being  for  the  most  part  the  proceeds  of  an  athletic 
entertainment  given  the  year  before  in  Champaign.  Those  who  at  that 
time  wished  to  practice  in  the  gymnasium  paid  50  cts.  a  term  for  a 
ticket,  and  with  the  money  so  secured,  instructors  were  employed  from 
among  the  students.  At  the  next  General  Assembly,  Eegent  Peabody, 
almost  unaided  by  others  connected  with  the  University,  succeeded  in 
winning  sufficiently  the  good  will  of  the  legislators  to  cause  the  passage 
of  a  bill  carrying  $70,000  for  a  new  Natural  History  building. 


1  Alumni  Quarterly,  Vol.  V,  No.  3,  July,  1910,  Makers  of  the  Univ.,  by  T.  J. 
Burrill,  p.  211. 

2  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1882,  p.  182; 

3  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1888,  p.  211. 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  265 

TRUSTEES  MADE  ELECTIVE 

In  1887,  a  law  was  passed  making  membership  in  the  Board  of 
Trustees  elective,  at  a  general  state  election,  and  restoring  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction  as  an  ex  officio  member,  thus  there  are 
today  three  ex  officio  and  nine  elective  members  of  the  Board.  The 
change  in  the  manner  of  election  helped  materially  to  bring  the  institu- 
tion before  the  people  of  the  state.  It  also  made  it  possible  for  women 
to  serve  on  the  Board.  None  became  members,  however,  until  Novem- 
ber, 1904,  when  Mrs.  Lucy  L.  Flower  was  elected.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  she  received  many  times  the  number  of  votes  that  have  been 
cast  for  any  other  woman  as  a  candidate  for  office  in  this  state.1  While 
she  was  the  first  woman  regularly  elected  a  member  of  the  Board,  Mrs. 
Julia  Holmes  Smith  served  a  short  time  before  her,  having  been 
appointed  by  the  Governor  to  fill  an  unexpired  term. 

SALE  or  NEBRASKA  LANDS 

In  1884  the  opportunity  seemed  favorable  to  begin  the  sale  of  the 
9,000  acres  of  land  located  in  Nebraska,  and  by  judicious  management 
the  endowment  fund  was  thus  raised  from  about  $320,000  to  upwards 
of  $450,000. 2  The  sale  of  this  land  stretched  out  over  a  period  of 
twenty-five  years,  the  last  being  sold  only  in  1909.  The  sale  of  the 
land  in  Minnesota  began  at  a  somewhat  later  date,  and  all  is  now  sold. 
The  total  endowment  fund  received  by  the  University  up  to  June  1, 
1916,  from  the  sale  of  its  land  scrip  amounted  to  $649,012.91.  The 
pressing  need  for  funds  and  the  dislike  for  paying  taxes  upon  this  land 
caused  much  of  it  to  be  sold  at  a  very  low  price. 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION  FOUNDED 

In  1887  the  federal  government  again  took  up  the  work  it  had  begun 
in  1862.  By  the  passage  of  the  Hatch  Act,  approved  March  12  of  that 
year,  the  national  government  appropriated  $15,000  per  annum  to  each 
state  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  and  maintaining,  in  connection 
with  the  colleges  founded  upon  the  congressional  act  of  1862,  agri- 
cultural experiment  stations  "to  aid  in  acquiring  and  diffusing  among 
the  people  of  the  United  States  useful  and  practical  information  to 
subjects  connected  with  agriculture,  and  to  promote  scientific  investi- 

1  Minutes  of  Board  of  Education  of  Chicago,  June  28,  1911. 

2  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1888,  p.  211. 


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HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN"    COUNTY  267 

gation  and  experiment  respecting  the  principles  and  application  of  agri- 
cultural science."  President  Peabody  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
discussion  of  the  convention  which  led  to  the  passage  of  this  act.  Under 
its  provision,  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  of  Illinois  was 
founded  in  1888  and  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  trustees  of  the 
university,  and  a  part  of  the  university  farm,  with  buildings,  was 
assigned  for  its  use.  State  appropriations  have  been  added  to  the 
federal  grants  to  the  Station,  until  its  revenues  have  become  the  largest 
of  those  of  similar  institutions  throughout  the  world.1 

In  1890,  by  another  measure  known  as  the  Morrill  College  Aid  Act,2 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  made  further  appropriations  for  the 
land  grant  colleges.  Under  this  enactment  each  such  college  or  uni- 
versity received  the  first  year  $15,000,  the  second  $16,000,  and  there- 
after $1,000  a  year  additional  to  the  amount  of  the  preceding  year,  until 
the  amount  reached  $25,000,  which  sum  was  to  be  paid  yearly.  The 
use  of  this  fund,  although  restricted,  made  possible  indirectly  a  con- 
siderable development  in  the  humanities  as  well  as  in  the  natural 
sciences. 

PRESENT  NAME  ADOPTED 

As  the  institution  developed,  the  name  "Illinois  Industrial  Uni- 
versity" was  felt  to  be  a  serious  handicap.  It  was  never  understood  in 
the  sense  originally  intended.  The  promoters  had  meant  to  establish  an 
institution  in  which  a  liberal  education  should  be  offered,  and  one  which 
should  be  particularly  suited  to  those  engaged  in  Industrial  pursuits, 
in  distinction  to  the  profession  as  they  were  then  recognized.  But  the 
prevailing  impression  gained  for  the  name  was  that  manual  labor  was 
a  prominent  feature.  The  name  came  to  be  considered  a  serious  obstacle 
to  the  institution,  and  a  bill  was  introduced  in  the  Legislature  of  1885 
for  its  change.  The  application  for  a  change  of  name  met  with  bitter 
opposition,  especially  in  the  senate,  many  of  the  opponents  contending 
that  the  change  would  be  detrimental  to  the  "industrial  ideas  of  the 
early  advocates."  But  on  June  19,  1885,  Governor  Oglesby  approved 
the  bill  changing  the  name  to  "The  University  of  Illinois." 

In  this  same  year  the  State  Laboratory  of  Natural  History  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  University  from  Xormal.  This  laboratory  was  created  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  natural  history  survey  of  the  state,  publishing 
the  results,  and  furnishing  specimens  -to  the  public  schools  and  to  the 


1  Univ.  of  Register,  1911-12,  p.  449. 

2  Act  approved  August  30,  1890,  in  Laws  of  U.  S.  and  State  of  111.,  Concern- 
ing the  Univ.  of  111. 


268  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

state  museums.  These  collections  amounted  to  75,000  specimens,  in 
round  numbers,  besides  15,000  bottles,  vials,  and  other  packages,  the 
contents  of  which  were  largely  unclassified.  The  apparatus  transferred 
with  this  material  consisted  chiefly  of  a  very  full  outfit  of  collecting 
apparatus  for  both  terrestrial  and  aquatic  work  and  a  considerable 
amount  of  microscopic  materials  and  apparatus. 

During  the  regime  of  Dr.  Peabody,  knowledge  of  the  University 
was  spread  among  the  people  of  the  state  principally  by  means  of 
addresses  and  exhibits.  It  has  been  estimated  that  during  1888  alone 
over  100  gatherings  were  attended  by  members  of  the  faculty  and  more 
than  200  addresses  were  delivered.  The  most  notable  of  the  technical 
exhibitions  were  kept  on  display,  as  follows:  six  months  at  the  State 
House  in  Springfield;  sixteen  months  at  the  expositions  at  New  Orleans; 
at  the  great  educational  displays  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  and  Chicago; 
and  at  the  state  fairs.1 

RESIGNATION  OF  DR.  PEABODY 

Many  things  conspired  to  make  Dr.  Peabody's  office  a  hard  one  to 
administer.  Matters  of  discipline,  disturbances  in  the  cadet  battalion 
and  a  radical  change  in  the  personnel  of  the  Board  were  circumstances 
which  so  strengthened  the  opposition  to  the  regent  as  to  defeat  his 
re-election  in  1891  for  the  next  biennial  period.  In  June  he  offered  his 
resignation,  which  was  at  once  accepted.  That  he  succeeded  as  well  as 
he  did  is  evidence  of  great  personal  and  professional  power  among  men 
and  of  exalted  devotion  to  the  cause  he  espoused. 

DR.  THOMAS  J.  BURHILL 

Upon  his  resignation  the  Board  temporarily  appointed  a  man  who 
had  made  his  life  a  part  of  the  University  and  who  through  the  varying 
fortunes  of  the  institution  had  filled  many  important  and  critical  gaps, 
Dr.  Thomas  Jonathan  Burrill.  He  first  came  to  the  University  as  a 
special  assistant  to  teach  algebra,  on  the  agreement  that  as  soon  as 
botany  could  be  provided  for,  he  should  have  charge  of  it.  Three 
months  after  his  first  connection  with  the  institution,  T.  J.  Burrill 
became  Assistant  Professor  of  Natural  History,  which  at  that  time 
included  botany.  He  became  full  Professor  of  Botany  and  Horticulture 
in  1871.  His  professorship  began  at  "sun  up"  and  lasted  indefinitely 
and  included  anything  that  needed  doing.  He  taught  most  of  the  day, 


Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1888,  p.  221. 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  269 

planted  with  his  own  hands  or  saw  to  the  planting  of  most  of  the  trees 
on  the  campus,  wrote  reports,  lectured  here  and  there,  served  on  innumer- 
able committees,  collected  specimens  up  and  down  the  state,  and  was 
even  charged  at  one  time  by  the  Board  with  the  sale  of  a  pair  of  mules, 
whose  labors  on  the  South  Farm  showed  that  they  were  not  so  able  to 
stand  the  strenuous  life  as  he  was.  After  the  founding  of  the  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station  in  1888,  Professor  Burrill  became  its  horti- 
culturist. 

In  1875  Dr.  Burrill  became  the  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees,  a  position  he  held  for  thirteen  years.  In  1878  he  was 
appointed  Dean  of  the  College  of  Science,  and  for  a  brief  time  was 
acting  regent.  When  the  regency  changed  in  1880,  he  filled  the  place 
temporarily.  Four  years  later  when  the  head  of  the  University  was 
absent  for  a  brief  time  on  University  business  he  was  made  presiding 
officer.  Upon  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Peabody  in  1891,  Dr.  Burrill  began 
an  indefinite  interregnum.  Almost  his  first  undertaking  was  to  organ- 
ize the  military  department,  which  had  caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
in  preceding  years.  He  effected  such  an  organization  that  it  has  never 
caused  any  trouble  since. 

Students  were  allowed  greater  freedom  and  responded  with  greater 
sanity  of  conduct.  Everywhere  a  better  spirit  grew  up.  The  old  fixed 
courses  of  study  were  abolished  and  substantially  our  present  system 
evolved.  In  September,  1891,  the  Board  passed  the  following  resolu- 
tion with  regard  to  fraternities: 

"Eesolved,  That  the  pledge  hitherto  required  for  candidates  for  entry 
to  the  University  in  regard  to  college  fraternities  be  omitted,  and  that 
the  subject  of  these  fraternities  be  referred  to  the  committee  on  rules." 

DR.  BURRILI/S  ADMINISTRATION 

During  Dr.  Burrill's  administration,  the  attendance  rapidly 
increased.  Student  organizations  were  stimulated.  We  find  the  first 
University  Glee  Club  organized  in  October,  1891.  The  first  annual 
concert  of  the  Illinois  Military  Band  was  given  in  February,  1892. 
Besides  there  were  organized  the  Mandolin  Club,  Chemistry  Club,  Art 
Club,  Students'  Assembly  for  "Social  and  Intellectual  Purposes,"  etc. 

But  perhaps  the  point  of  greatest  triumph  in  his  administration  was 
the  finances.  The  Board  had  been  accustomed  to  ask  support  for  the 
University  in  a  most  modest  way,  and  the  result  was  that  it  had  been 
doled  out  to  them  in  50-cent  pieces.  Dr.  Burrill  advocated  asking 
for  everything  wanted,  leaving  the  Legislature  to  cut  down  the  request 


270  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

if  it  saw  fit.  From  the  appeal  to  the  Legislature  in  1893  came  the  appro- 
priation for  the  engineering  building,  and  greatly  increased  sums  for 
other  expenses.  The  total  appropriation  rose  from  $147,000  to 
$295,000.1 

NEW  COUESES  OP  STUDY  CREATED 

Several  new  courses  of  study  had  their  origin  in  this  period,  such 
as  the  Graduate  School,  as  well  as  the  School  of  Philosophy  and 
Pedagogy,  included  in  the  College  of  Literature  and  Arts;  the  depart- 
ment of  Municipal  and  Sanitary  Engineering  and  Architectural  Engi- 
neering were  likewise  created.  In  January,  1893,  the  agricultural  short 
course  was  offered.  The  office  of  Eegistrar  was  created  August  16th. 
of  the  same  year,  and  the  appointment  of  W.  L.  Pillsbury  was  made. 
In  1894  an  appropriation  of  $1,800  was  made  for  a  biological  station 
at  Havana  and  $1,200  for  a  summer  school  at  the  University.  The 
first  summer  session  began  the  following  June  and  continued  four  weeks ; 
thirty-eight  persons  were  enrolled,  twenty-six  of  whom  were  teachers 
from  over  the  state.  Members  of  the  regular  faculty  gave  the  instruc- 
tion and  the  full  resources  of  the  University,  laboratories,  libraries,  and 
apparatus  made  available  for  the  work. 

Although  the  preparatory  class  served  as  an  important  feeder  for 
the  university  it  was  not  the  intention  of  the  governing  boards  that  this 
class  should  be  largely  increased.  In  March,  1894,  however,  the  Board 
established  a  two  years'  course  in  the  preparatory  school.  Preparatory 
classes  had  been  taught  almost  from  the  beginning  of  the  institution, 
but  with  the  anticipation  that  the  time  would  soon  come  when  such 
instruction  might  be  wholly  left  to  the  high  schools.  If  it  had  seemed 
possible,  the  University  authorities  would  gladly  have  abandoned  the 
preparatory  work,  but  if,  as  it  appeared,  it  must  be  continued,  better 
provision  had  to  be  made  for  it.  Hence,  a  principal  was  appointed, 
teachers  were  employed,  and  a  course  of  instruction  mapped  out. 

While  the  faculty  confined  itself  in  the  main  to  undergraduate 
instruction,  the  graduate  department  was  slowly  taking  shape.  The 
first  fellowships  were  instituted  in  1892,  and  in  1894  the  faculty  was 
authorized  to  define  the  requirements  for  doctors'  degrees. 

The  University  gradually  extended  its  relations  with  the  public 
school  system  of  the  state  through  its  accredited  schools,  and  also  by  the 
aid  of  the  county  superintendents  who  conducted  examinations  for 
scholarships,  and  by  its  course  of  University  extension  lectures.  A 

i  Alumni  Quarterly,  Vol.  II,  October,  1908,  Makers  of  the  Univ.,  by  C.  M. 
Moss,  p.  229. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  271 

great  change  came  over  the  state  in  its  attitude  toward  the  University. 
Dr.  Burrill's  policy  was  one  of  open  discussion,  friendly  co-operation 
with  all  educational  and  other  interests  of  the  state,  and  had  much  to 
do  with  allaying  opposition  on  all  sides. 

HIGHEST  HONOR  TO  DR.  BURBILL 

Forty-four  years  is  a  long  time  to  serve  an  institution,  and  when 
that  service  has  been  rendered  with  faithfulness,  kindly  benevolence, 
and  utter  unselfishness,  the  institution  should  certainly  honor  the  man. 
Accordingly,  at  the  41st  commencement,  the  University  conferred  upon 
Dr.  Burrill  the  highest  honor  that  it  can  give — the  honorary  degree  of 
doctor  of  laws.  Although  Dr.  Burrill  retired  from  active  duty  Sept. 
1,  1912,  he  retained  his  office  in  the  Natural  History  Building  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  the  institution  having  still  the  benefit  of  the  counsel 
of  this  superior  man  whose  visions  were  not  even  then  of  the  past 
University,  but  of  the  future. 

PRESIDENT  ANDREW  S.  DRAPER 

Various  causes  delayed  action  in  electing  a  new  Eegent  after  the 
departure  of  President  Peabody,  but  it  was  felt  that  the  important  thing 
was  to  find  the  right  man,  no  matter  how  much  time  it  might  require. 
Finally  after  three  years  of  inquiry  and  discussion,  the  Board  tendered 
the  appointment,  April  13,  1894,  to  Andrew  Sloan  Draper  of  New  York. 
The  title  of  regent  as  applied  to  the  chief  executive  of  a  collegiate  insti- 
tution was  found  to  be  confusing,  since  the  term  was  generally  used  for 
a  member  of  the  board  of  control — a  trustee.  The  legislative  enactment 
founding  the  University  designated  the  executive  by  this  name  and  it 
was  so  used  from  that  time  up  to  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Draper.  With 
his  appointment  the  Board  of  Trustees  gave  authority  for  the  title 
"President"  to  be  used  instead  of  the  title  "Eegent"  as  given  in  the  Uni- 
versity charter.  The  time  fixed  for  the  beginning  of  Dr.  Draper's 
services  was  August  1,  1894,  and  upon  that  date  he  assumed  the  duties 
of  this  office. 

The  third  president  of  the  University  was  of  sturdy  New  England 
stock.  He  was  born  June  21,  1848,  at  Westford,  New  York.  He  was 
educated  for  the  profession  of  law  in  the  Albany  Law  School  of  Union 
College,  graduating  in  1871.  For  nearly  a  dozen  years  after  his  gradu- 
ation in  law,  he  practiced  his  profession.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
New  York  State  Legislature  in  1881,  a  judge  of  the  United  States 


272  mSTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Court  of  Alabama  Claims  from  1884  to  1886,  and  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  from  1886  to  1892.  He  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  laws  from  Colgate  in  1889,  from  Columbia  in  1903,  and  from 
the  University  of  Illinois  in  1905. 1  For  two  years  previous  to  his 
coming  to  the  University  he  .was  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

President  Draper  did  not  aspire  to  the  presidency  of  the  University. 
He  was  sought  out  by  the  Board.  He  says,  "I  had  serious  misgivings 
about  the  advisability  of  accepting  the  post.  I  doubted  my  adaptability 
to  it."  The  fact  that  he  was  not  a  university  man  caused  him  to 
hesitate.  While  for  a  long  time  he  had  followed  educational  thought, 
he  had  not  concerned  himself  much  about  college  and  university  work. 
But  his  wide  experience  with  men,  in  politics  and  educational  work,  and 
his  ability  as  an  organizer,  aided  greatly  in  his  management  of  Univer- 
sity affairs. 

President  Draper  early  sided  with  the  many  friends  of  the  Uni- 
versity who  felt  that,  while  the  institution  was  organized  primarily  to 
educate  people  for  industrial  vocations,  it  was  not  doing  its  whole  duty 
as  long  as  its  efforts  were  confined  within  these  limits.  Conferences 
were  held  with  the  trustees  and  faculties  as  to  the  best  means  of  begin- 
ning departments  of  law,  medicine,  and  teaching.  The  result  of  this 
activity  was  that  during  his  administration  the  University  organized 
and  established  a  number  of  new  schools  and  departments. 

SCHOOLS  OF  PHARMACY  AND  MEDICINE,  CHICAGO 

The  first  new  school  was  that  of  Pharmacy.  The  Chicago  College 
of  Pharmacy  made  a  proposition  to  turn  over  and  donate  its  school  and 
property  to  the  University  on  the  provision  that  it  be  maintained  as  a 
part  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  Board  accepted  the  proposition 
at  its  April  meeting,  1896,2  and  on  May  1,  this  College  became  the 
School  of  Pharmacy. 

Negotiations  looking  toward  the  affiliation  of  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  of  Chicago  with  the  University,  which  had  been 
going  on  for  several  years,  were  concluded  by  the  Board  of  Trustees 
March  9,  1897.3 

On  April  21,  1897,  it  became  the  School  of  Medicine  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois.  It  had  been  one  of  the  foremost  of  such  schools  of 


1  Who's  Who  in  America,  1908-09,  Vol.  V,  p.  530. 

2  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1898,  p.  238. 

3  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1898,  p.  74. 


HISTOKY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  273 

the  Middle  West.  Its  buildings  were  substantially  constructed  and  its 
location  directly  opposite  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  and  in  the  very 
center  of  opportunities  for  medical  research,  gave  the  students  unusual 
clinical  privileges.  The  first  year  there  were  409  registered  at  this 
medical  college. 

SCHOOL  OF  LAW  AND  STATE  LIBRARY  SCHOOL 

The  organization  of  a  School  of  Law  was  a  matter  which  had  long 
been  in  the  minds  of  the  authorities,  and  nearly  two  years  previous  to 
the  opening  of  the  School,  the  Board  of  Trustees  had  determined  that 
the  step  should  be  taken.  Pursuant  to  their  action  of  Dec.  8,  1896,1 
the  School  of  Law  was  organized  and  instruction  began  September  13, 
1897.  The  formal  opening  was  through  a  public  meeting  held  in  the 
chapel  of  the  University,  which  was  addressed  by  Justice  Jacob  W. 
Wilkin  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state.  The  faculty  of  the  School  of 
Law  has  been  composed  from  the  beginning  of  professors  devoting  their 
entire  time  to  instruction,  and  of  other  professors  who  taught  related 
subjects  in  the  University,  such  as  constitutional  law,  the  history  of 
jurisprudence,  and  non-resident  lecturers.  The  course  of  study  at  first 
covered  two  years,  but  a  very  short  time  later  it  was  rearranged  on  the 
three-year  basis.  On  February  9,  1900,  the  School  of  Law  became  the 
College  of  Law;  and  on  the  same  date  the  School  of  Medicine  became 
the  College  of  Medicine.2 

In  1897,  the  School  of  Library  Economy  which  had  been  established 
in  1893  at  the  Armour  Institute  of  Technology  in  Chicago  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  University;  the  director  of  that  school  was  appointed 
librarian  of  the  University  Library;  and  the  State  Library  School  was 
opened.  There  were  but  three  other  such  schools  in  the  country  and  no 
other  west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains.  In  1897  admission  to  the 
school  was  made  requisite  upon  two  years  of  college  work. 

From  time  to  time  some  slight  provision  had  been  made  for  musical 
instruction  and  in  1895  the  work  had  tieen  reorganized  and  enlarged. 
By  vote  of  the  trustees  on  June  9,  1897,  the  department  became  the 
School  of  Music  with  a  separate  faculty  and  organization.3  Instruction 
was  given  in  violin,  piano,  and  voice,  and  a  course  was  offered  leading 
to  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  music. 


1  Rep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1898,  p.  44. 

2  Eep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1900,  p.  254. 

a  Eep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1898,  pp.  124,   125. 

1—18 


274  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

DEAN  OF  WOMEN'S  DEPARTMENT 

The  adequate  supervision  of  social  interests  was  felt  to  require  dis- 
tinct administrative  attention,  and  at  the  March  meeting,  1897,  the 
Board  of  Trustees  created  a  Dean  of  Women's  Department  and  appointed 
a  dean  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Violet  D.  Jayne  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.1 
Events  proved  the  selection  to  be  a  wise  one.  In  1901,  a  similar 
measure  was  adopted  with  reference  to  male  students,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Professor  Thomas  Arkle  Clark,  Dean  of  Undergraduates,  who 
served  in  this  capacity  until  1909,  when  he  became  Dean  of  Men. 

In  1899  some  additional  courses  were  offered  in  railway  engineering. 
Two  years  before  this  the  Big  Four  Eailway  Company  had  built  a 
dynamometer  car  for  the  use  of  the  University  upon  its  system,  and  in 
1900  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad  did  the  same  thing,  and  decided 
improvements  were  made  upon  the  first  car  offered. 

SUMMER  SESSION  ESTABLISHED 

In  the  summer  of  1899  the  University  made  an  earnest  effort  to 
establish  the  summer  session.  Some  such  efforts  had  been  made  years 
before,  but  without  much  success.  It  secured  the  attendance  of  148 
students  during  a  term  of  nine  weeks.  The  work  was  satisfactorily 
initiated  and  the  results  were  considered  quite  substantial.  The  work 
offered  was  largely  of  a  character  which  would  appeal  to  teachers  in 
the  high  schools  of  the  state,  and  persons  of  this  class  responded  in  con- 
siderable numbers.  Students  were  allowed  to  do  work  which  might 
count  towards  a  University  degree,  and  many  availed  themselves  of  the 
privilege. 

The  work  of  the  State  Entomologist's  office  had  been  done  at  the 
University  of  Illinois  since  January,  1885.  By  legislative  enactment  in 
1899  it  became  permanently  established  at  the  University,  the  trustees 
of  which  are  required  by  that  act  to  provide  for  the  Entomologist  and 
his  assistants  such  office  and  laboratory  rooms  as  may  be  necessary  to 
the  performance  of  their  duties. 

COLLEGE  OF  DENTISTRY  ORGANIZED 

On  March  12,  1901,2  a  College  of  Dentistry  was  organized  as  a 
department  in  the  College  of  Medicine.  In  the  following  fall  the  school 
opened  with  an  enrollment  of  134  students. 


lEep.   of  Univ.   of   111.,   1898.  p.  65. 
=  Eep.  of  Univ.  of  111.,  1902,  p.  54ff . 


HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  275 

SCHOOL  OF  COMMERCE  AND  ENGINEERING  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

The  General  Assembly  in  1900  made  an  appropriation  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  courses  of  training  for  business,  and,  in  accordance  with 
that  action,  the  trustees  approved  the  organization  of  the  Courses  in 
Business  Administration  (frequently  given  elsewhere  under  the  name  of 
School  of  Commerce).  The  department  opened  in  1902  with  two  new 
professors,  one  called  from  Yale,  and  the  other  from  Tome  Institute. 

One  year  later  the. special  appropriation  by  Congress  to  the  state 
made  possible  the  founding  of  the  Engineering  Experiment  Station. 
Within  its  scope  were  embraced  several  problems  connected  with  archi- 
tecture, and  civil,  electrical,  mechanical,  and  sanitary  engineering.  The 
quarters  were  in  the  University  buildings  and  shops. 

PRESIDENT  DRAPER'S  ADMINISTRATION 

President  Draper  managed  in  a  large  degree  to  put  the  University 
in  a  more  favorable  light  before  the  people  of  the  state,  who  in  many 
cases  had  looked  upon  it  with  disfavor  or  with  indifference.  One  of  the 
menaces  of  the  University's  power  to  do  good  was  the  claim  often  made 
through  the  secular  newspapers  of  the  state  that  there  was  little  religious 
spirit  in  the  University.  President  Draper  early  began  placing  the  facts 
before  the  people  to  show  that  this  was  untrue.  Statistics  from  the 
Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  refuted  these 
charges;  greater  efforts  were  made  by  the  several  church  denomina- 
tions ;  and  near  the  end  of  his  administration  the  percentage  of  men  and 
women  who  were  parties  to  the  great  Student  Volunteer  Movement  for 
Christian  Missions  was  shown  to  be  greater  than  in  any  other  state 
institution. 

President  Draper  overcame  much  of  the  opposition  which  had  existed 
in  a  measure  between  the  University  and  other  colleges  of  the  state  by 
showing  in  addresses  and  papers  that  all  of  these  colleges  and  the  state's 
big  school  were  needed  to  do  the  work  which  should  be  done. 

The  increase  in  attendance  at  the  University  during  the  decade  from 
1894  to  1904  was  marvelous.  The  attendance  at  Urbana  increased  from 
750  in  1893-4  to  3,100  in  1902-3,  and  during  the  latter  year  there  were 
about  900  in  the  Chicago  departments.  The  number  of  instructors 
increased  proportionately.  Especially  striking  was  the  growth  of  the 
College  of  Agriculture.  In  the  early  nineties  the  attendance  of  regu- 
larly matriculated  students  had  almost  reached  the  vanishing  point,  a 
result  due  partly  to  defective  equipment  and  partly  to  the  prevailing 


276  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

skepticism  among  the  farmers  themselves  with  regard  to  the  possibilities 
of  scientific  instruction  in  agriculture.  During  this  period  new  inter- 
est sprang  up,  the  appropriations  increased,  and  in  1903,  for  the  first 
time,  there  came  to  the  University  a  substantial  number  of  agricultural 
students. 

Not  only  were  the  appropriations  increased  for  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture, but  there  was  also  a  general  increase  throughout  the  University. 
For  the  biennium  commencing  July  1,  1895,  the  appropriation  for  the 
general  current  expense  was  $180,000,  and  for  the  following  two-year 
periods,  respectively,  $220,000;  $270,000;  $350,000;  and  $500,000; 
making  a  total  in  ten  years  of  $1,520,000. l  In  addition  to  these 
increased  appropriations  for  current  expenses,  there  were  large  appropri- 
ations for  buildings. 

LIBRARY  AND  AGRICULTURAL  BUILDINGS  COMPLETED 

The  Library  building,  dedicated  at  commencement  in  1897,  was  occu- 
pied in  the  September  following.  It  was  both  designed  and  constructed 
by  graduates  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  interior  decorations 
were  made  by  Newton  A.  Wells,  and  it  is  said  that  they  present  the 
best  example  of  a  pure  Byzantine  style  to  be  found  in  the  United  States. 
The  architects  were  Professors  N.  Clifford  Kicker  and  James  M.  White. 
A  new  Astronomical  Observatory  was  completed,  equipped,  and  occupied. 
Under  the  dome  a  fine  twelve-inch  telescope  was  erected  by  the  foremost 
telescope  builders  in  the  United  States.  Another  important  addition 
to  the  group  of  University  buildings  was  the  Electrical  Engineering 
building  located  just  north  of  Engineering  Hall;  and  the  Central  Heat- 
ing Plant  located  to  the  east  of  the  Electrical  building — both  designed 
by  professors  in  the  department  of  Architecture.  All  the  University 
buildings  are  heated  by  the  Central  Heating  Plant.  The  pipes  are 
carried  in  brick  tunnels  a  third  of  a  mile  in  length  and  large  enough 
to  enable  a  person  walking  erectly  to  pass  through  them. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1900,  the  main  group  of  agricultural  build- 
ings was  completed  on  the  South  Campus,  from  an  appropriation  of 
$150,000.  This  was  the  first  time  the  state  had  expended  any  con- 
siderable amount  of  money  to  provide  an  agricultural  plant. 

Other  buildings  erected  during  President  Draper's  administration 
were  a  new  wood  shop  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  which  had  been  burned, 
a  president's  house,  a  splendid  gymnasium,  an  excellent  building  for 
applied  mechanics,  a  testing  laboratory,  and  University  water  station. 


Alumni  Quarterly,  Vol.  IV,  April,  1910,  p.  99. 


CO 

M 


a 

PQ 


278  HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

South  of  the  Science  building  a  substantial  and  capacious  chemical  lab- 
oratory was  constructed.  The  old  chemical  laboratory  was  remodeled 
and  given  over  to  the  College  of  Law.  The  building  of  the  College  of 
Medicine  in  Chicago  was  largely  reconstructed,  and  the  West  Division 
high  school  property  was  also  acquired  and  put  into  excellent  condition. 
In  1897  a  new  gymnasium  was  installed  on  the  upper  floor  of  the  old 
mechanical  building.  It  was  not  ideal  in  appearance,  but  was  ade- 
quately equipped  and  well  suited  for  practical  use.  It  was  provided 
with  a  very  satisfactory  equipment  of  lockers,  and  also  with  reasonable 
toilet  and  bathing  accommodations.  Illinois  field  was  considerably 
enlarged  and  much  improved  in  appearance.  The  unsightly  board  fence 
was  removed  and  a  handsome  iron  one  put  in  its  place.  The  running 
track  was  enlarged  so  as  to  be  a  full  third  of  a  mile  in  length. 

The  Legislature  of  1903  made  provision  for  the  establishment  of  the 
Woman's  building,  three  agricultural  buildings,  a  foundry,  and  a  steam 
laboratory. 

A  new  greenhouse  was  constructed  and  occupied  opposite  the  new 
electrical  building,  and  added  an  attractive  feature  to  the  University 
grounds.  In  connection  with  the  Electrical  building  and  the  Central 
Heating  Plant  there  was  installed  and  put  into  operation  an  electric 
lighting  plant.  It  supplied  arc  lights  upon  the  campus  and  also  incan- 
descent lights  in  the  buildings  which  are  wired  for  the  purpose. 

Two  BUILDINGS  STRUCK  BY  LIGHTNING 

Lightning  struck  the  chemical  building  in  August,  1896.  The  roof 
and  practically  the  whole  of  the  interior  of  the  building  were  destroyed. 
Nothing  remained  but  the  four  walls.  Steps  were  at  once  taken  to 
renew  the  roof  and  the  interior  was  replaced  in  a  very  hasty,  rough  and 
unsubstantial  manner  because  of  lack  of  time  and  funds  to  do  the  work 
properly.  A  year  later,  in  June,  1897,  the  Natural  History  building 
was  struck  by  lightning.  The  results  were  not  so  serious  as  with  the 
chemical  laboratory,  but  fire  followed  and  not  only  the  roof  but  also 
the  upper  portions  of  the  interior,  and  the  building  and  its  contents, 
were  seriously  injured  by  water.  The  damage  to  the  latter  building 
was  repaired  in  time  to  prevent  any  interruption  of  University  work. 

On  June  9,  1900,  the  oldest  building  on  the  campus,  which  accom- 
modated the  wood  shops,  testing  laboratory,  hydraulic  laboratory,  repair 
shops,  and  gymnasium  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire.  The  building  was 
an  old  one,  yet  substantial  and  exceedingly  useful,  and  housed  important 
interests. 


HISTOEY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  279 

Perhaps  the  event  which  caused  the  most  concern  on  the  part  of 
the  administration  was  the  defalcation  of  the  treasurer  in  February, 
1897.  All  the  cash  balances  of  the  several  funds  were  involved.  All 
the  appropriations  had  been  collected  from  the  State  Treasurer  to  the 
end  of  the  year,  and  there  were  no  means  which  could  be  applied  to 
salaries  and  other  expenses.  Fortunately  the  Legislature  was  in  session 
and  official  notice  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  that  body,  which  came 
to  the  relief  of  the  University  by  assuming  charge  of  the  whole  matter 
and  restoring  the  funds  completely. 

President  Draper  showed  the  keenest  personal  interest  in  students 
and  student  activities.  The  united  action  of  the  students  in  all  impor- 
tant measures  to  be  advanced,  the  kindly  and  frank  treatment  of  each 
other  in  their  personal  and  class  relations,  and  the  hearty  and  loyal 
support  of  all  University  interests  were  immense  factors  in  the  control 
and  enlargement  of  the  institution.  The  adoption  of  orange  and  blue 
as  the  University  colors  by  the  general  assembly  of  students  within  a 
month  after  the  beginning  of  the  administration  was  a  step  in  this 
direction.  Encouragement  was  given  to  athletics  by  the  employment  of 
coaches  and  instructors  in  the  department,  and  were  made  more  popular 
by  the  president's  attendance  upon  the  games.  The  grounds  were  beau- 
tified and  made  attractive  by  making  open  spaces  for  sward,  the  paving 
of  walks  and  drives,  and  the  planting  of  a  colony  of  squirrels  upon  the 
campus. 

While  President  Draper  stood  for  what  furnished  students  social  and 
physical  enjoyment,  at  the  same  time  he  was  a  rigid  disciplinarian. 
The  enforcement  of  authority  has  been  made  easier  down  to  the  present 
time  because  of  President  Draper's  successful  stand  in  administering 
justice  after  a  certain  class  riot,  which  occasioned  considerable  difficulty. 

Dr.  Draper  resigned  in  March,  1904,  his  resignation  taking  effect 
after  two  months'  leave  of  absence,  thus  practically  rounding  out  ten 
years  of  service.  They  were  a  splendid  ten  years  for  the  University  of 
Illinois.  Things  were  favorable  when  he  began.  The  excellent  oppor- 
tunity for  the  chief  executive  was  turned  to  the  best  account.  He 
quickly  appreciated  the  situation  and  with  abundant  forcefulness  and 
admirable  generalship,  carried  the  institution  forward  in  its  remark- 
able career.  Having  been  elected  to  the  newly  created  office  of  Com- 
missioner of  Education  in  the  state  of  New  York,  he  gave  up  his  work 
in  Illinois  with  abundantly  demonstrated  evidences  of  its  success  during 
the  ten  years  of  his  presidency. 


280  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

DB.  EDMUND  J.  JAMES  SUCCEEDS  PRESIDENT  DRAPER 

On  November  5,  1904,  Dr.  Edmund  Janes  James,  the  fourth  presi- 
dent of  the  University,  assumed  the  duties  of  that  office.  His  formal 
installation  took  place  in  October  of  the  following  year.  On  this 
occasion  delegates  were  present  from  a  large  number  of  American  and 
foreign  universities,  making  the  exercises  of  unusual  interest.  Perhaps 
one  of  the  most  striking  features  was  a  series  of  conferences  on  various 
questions  of  educational  policy. 

President  James  is  the  first  native  of  Illinois  to  be  elected  to  the 
presidency  of  its  state  university.  Moreover,  he  has  served  the  two  other 
great  universities  of  the  state,  having  presided  over  Northwestern  for 
a  time  and  having  been  for  six  years  a  professor  in  the  University,  of 
Chicago.  He  was  born  May  24,  1855,  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  a  pioneer  Methodist  minister.  He  prepared  for  college 
in  the  Model  Department  of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  School  and  in 
the  fall  following  his  graduation  there,  became  a  student  at  North- 
western University.  After  spending  one  year  at  this  institution  and  one 
year  at  Harvard,  he  entered  the  University  of  Halle  in  1875,  where 
two  years  later,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  received  his  doctor's  degree. 
He  first  taught  as  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Evanston,  going  from 
there  to  accept  a  similar  position  in  the  High  School  Department  of  the 
Illinois  Normal  University.  In  1883  he  became  Professor  of  Public 
Administration  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  While  there  he  was 
for  a  time  secretary  of  the  graduate  faculty  and  organized  the  instruction 
in  this  department.  He  was  also  Director  of  the  Wharton  School  of 
Finance  and  Economy. 

In  1896  he  accepted  a  position  as  Professor  of  Public  Administration 
and  Director  of  the  University  Extension  Division  in  the  University  of 
Chicago.  Six  years  later  he  resigned  this  position  to  become  President 
of  Northwestern  University,  and  in  1904  he  again  resigned  his  position 
in  order  to  accept  a  similar  one  at  the  University  of  Illinois. 

He  received  the  honorary  degree  LL.  D.  from  Cornell  College  (Iowa) 
in  1902,  from  Wesleyan,  1903,  Queen's  College,  1903,  Harvard,  1909, 
and  Michigan  and  Northwestern  in  1914. 

The  progress  of  the  University  during  the  last  few  years  has  been 
rapid  and  uninterrupted.  Opportunities  for  advanced  work  in  nearly 
every  department  of  the  University  have  been  materially  increased. 
Perhaps  the  organization  of  the  Graduate  School  as  a  separate  admin- 
istrative body  was  a  step  which  aided  most  greatly  along  this  line.  The 
Legislatures  of  1907  and  1909  appropriated  for  the  work  of  the  school 


EDMUND    J.  JAMBS 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  281 

a  sum  of  $50,000  a  year.  This  was  a  step  unprecedented  in  the  history 
of  state  universities  and  the  act  was  warmly  welcomed  by  educational 
authorities. 

Hand  in  hand  with  graduate  work  goes  the  necessity  for  a  strong 
library.  While  not  yet  all  that  can  be  desired,  the  University  library 
has  grown  rapidly.  The  number  of  volumes  in  1904  was  63,724,  and 
the  number  of  pamphlets,  14,512;  while  on  June  1,  1917,  the  general 
University  library,  including  Chicago  departments  with  21,389  books, 
4,195  pamphlets  and  8  maps,  contained  397,710  volumes,  and  102,029 
pamphlets,  4,123  pieces  of  sheet  music,  3,188  .maps,  and  a  file  of 
photographs. 

SCHOOL  OF  COMMERCE  BUILDING 

The  courses  in  Business  Administration  were  established  in  a  modest 
way  in  1900.  Five  years  later  an  effort  was  made  to  put  the  work  on 
a  better  basis,  and  the  legislature  gave  the  School  an  annual  income  of 
$25,000.  Since  that  time  it  has  become  one  of  the  strongest  in  the 
country.  The  legislature  recognized  the  importance  to  the  state  of 
this  department  in  the  substantial  way  of  making  an  appropriation  for 
a  commerce  building,  the  cornerstone  of  which  was  laid  March  21,  1912. 

The  department  of  Household  Science  assumed  a  notable  position 
when  in  1910,  for  the  first  time  in  any  university,  it  offered  a  complete 
four-year  course  in  household  management,  as  distinguished  from 
Household  Science. 

The  College  of  Literature  and  Arts  and  the  College  of  Science  were 
consolidated  July  1,  1913,  thus  eliminating  unnecessary  duplications 
and  increasing  exceedingly  the  efficiency  of  these  departments.  The 
new  college  is  making  a  definite  effort  not  only  for  the  promotion  of 
research,  but  also  toward  the  uplifting  of  secondary  education  by  giving 
to  prospective  teachers  opportunities  for  higher  work  and  better  prepar- 
ation. 

SCHOOL  OF  EDUCATION  CREATED 

During  the  year  1905,  the  trustees  created  a  School  of  Education. 
In  some  respects  this  was  a  grouping  of  the  courses  in  the  University 
which  pertained  most  directly  to  the  future  work  of  the  teacher.  All 
instructors  who  offer  courses  primarily  for  prospective  teachers  are  on 
the  faculty  of  this  school.  In  framing  its  organization,  the  presidents 
of  the  normal  schools  of  the  state  were  consulted,  and  their  advice  has 
proved  most  helpful  on  many  important  points. 


282  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

SCHOOL  OF  CERAMICS 

The  Legislature  in  1905  made  the  small  appropriation  of  $5,000  for 
the  establishment  of  courses  in  ceramics,  in  response  to  a  request  from 
the  various  ceramic  societies  of  the  state,  who  asked  that  the  University 
give  thorough  and  reliable  instruction  in  the  geology  of  clay  working 
materials,  their  origin,  classification,  physical  and  chemical  properties, 
and  their  behavior  under  such  influences  as  are  met  with  during  the 
processes  of  manufacture.  Courses  in  ceramics  and  ceramic  engineer- 
ing, supplemented  by  a  course  in  cement  making,  were  organized  and 
have  become  regular  four-year  courses  in  the  College  of  Science.  It  is 
a  School  which  has  proved  itself  of  much  benefit  to  the  people  of  the 
state  in  a  number  of  ways.  It  has  found  a  method  of  making  high 
grade  brick  and  tile  from  material  before  regarded  as  worthless.  It 
has  shown,  in  the  manufacture  of  enamel  brick,  that  Illinois  clays  may 
be  used  more  profitably  than  those  of  other  states.  It  has  compounded 
a  white  and  cheaper  grade  of  stoneware.  It  has  given  to  the  people 
formulae  for  compounding  crystalline  and  fritted  glazes  which  rereto 
fore  had  been  kept  secret. 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  AND  WATER  SURVEYS 

In  the  same  year  the  State  Geological  Survey  and  the  State  Water 
Survey  became  scientific  departments  connected  with  the  University. 
The  Legislature  created  the  State  Geological  Survey  as  a  bureau  of  the 
University,  with  the  objects  and  duties  usual  to  such  surveys.  The 
University  has  furnished  suitable  quarters  for  the  offices  of  this  survey, 
and  it  has  found  in  the  laboratories  of  the  University  a  most  valu- 
able assistance  in  the  prosecution  of  its  work.  The  presence  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  men  of  the  scientific  standing  of  those  engaged  in  the  Survey 
has  been  of  very  substantial,  though  indirect  value  to  the  scientific 
advance  in  these  various  subjects.  The  State  Water  Survey  had  for 
its  purpose  the  study  of  the  water  supply  of  the  state  in  all  its  aspects. 
Its  work  has  been  both  in  the  field  and  in  the  laboratories. 

The  College  of  Agriculture  and  the  Experiment  Station  have  pro- 
duced a  profound  influence  upon  the  farming  practice  of  the  state  in 
the  last  ten  years. 

The  main  contribution  of  the  College  of  Engineering,  in  the  same 
period,  as  distinguished  from  what  it  has  done  hitherto,  probably  lies 
in  the  stimulus  given  to  industrial  research  through  the  Engineering 
Experiment  Station.  As  the  work  and  purposes  of  the  Station  have 


HISTOEY    OP   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  283 

become  better  understood  in  the  state,  the  officers  in  charge  have  been 
flooded  with  applications  for  help. 

SCHOOL  OF  EAILWAY  ENGINEERING 

On  January  30,  1906,  the  Board  of  Trustees  created  a  department 
of  Railway  Engineering.  One  year  later,  supplementing  that  action, 
the  School  of  Railway  Engineering  and  Administration  was  established. 
This  School  offers  courses  in  railway,  civil,  electrical,  and  mechanical 
engineering  as  well  as  in  management. 

A  Mine  Rescue  Station  was  established  at  the  University  in  1909. 
It  is  in  cooperation  with  the  State  Geological  Survey  and  the  College 
of  Engineering  of  the  University.  Its  purpose  is  to  demonstrate  to  mine 
operators  and  others  the  value  of  oxygen  helmets  and  resuscitation 
apparatus  in  connection  with  rescue  work  in  mines,  as  an  aid  to  fighting 
mine  fires,  and  in  the  opening  of  mines  which  have  been  sealed  on 
account  of  fires.  The  Station  not  only  gives  demonstration  but  also 
undertakes  to  train  men  in  the  use  of  such  apparatus,  the  service  being 
given  gratuitously. 

GENERAL  PROPERTY  TAX  FOR  UNIVERSITY 

June  13,  1911,  a  bill  was  passed  providing  for  a  one  mill  tax  on 
each  dollar  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  all  the  property  of  the  state  for 
the  support  of  the  University.  On  the  present  taxing  basis,  the  law 
should  yield  about  two  and  one-quarter  million  dollars  a  year.  This 
sum  is  not  automatically  appropriated  to  University  uses,  although  it 
can  be  used  for  no  other  purpose.  This  means  that  the  ambitious  inter- 
ests within  the  University  will  reach  an  agreement  on  the  campus;  the 
budget  will  be  made  here;  and  the  united  requests,  within  the  sum 
available,  can  be  presented  as  a  unit  to  the  legislative  committee.  The 
one  mill  tax  puts  the  regular  support  of  the  University  upon  a  safer 
foundation,  and  assures  a  regular  income.  No  other  event  in  the  history 
of  the  institution  is  more  important  than  the  passage  of  this  bill. 

IMPROVEMENT  IN  CHICAGO  DEPARTMENTS 

The  Chicago  departments  of  the  University  have  undergone  a  con- 
siderable improvement  and  reorganization  in  the  past  few  years. 
Because  of  failure  to  receive  appropriations  for  the  operation  of  its 
medical  department,  the  University  was  compelled  to  close  it  June  30, 
1912.  The  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  again  opened  a  school 


284  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

on  the  same  site.  This  caused  such  consternation  among  medical  alumni 
and  friends  of  medical  education  in  Illinois  that  they  proceeded  to 
secure  the  capital  stock  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  and 
then  presented  it  to  the  trustees  of  the  University.  The  College  of 
Medicine  was  then  re-opened  March  6,  1913.  A  vigorous  policy  of 
expansion  and  development  followed.  The  equipment  has  been  per- 
fected and  brought  down  to  date,  and  the  entrance  requirements  have 
been  raised  to  a  par  with  those  of  the  best  medical  schools  of  the  United 
States.  The  College  of  Medicine  has  graduated  3,206  students  and 
enrolled  a  total  of  10,824.  The  dental  department,  which  was  closed  at 
the  same  time  as  the  medical  department  and  for  the  same  reasons, 
was  reopened  October  1,  1913.  The  College  of  Dentistry  has  also 
undergone  considerable  development  within  the  last  few  years,  as  well 
as  the  School  of  Pharmacy. 

The  College  of  Agriculture  is  now  organized  with  the  following 
departments :  Agronomy,  Animal  Husbandry,  Dairy  Husbandry,  Horti- 
culture, Veterinary  Science  and  Household  Science. 

GROWTH  OF  COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE,  1890-1917 

The  following  table  gives  the  registration  of  students  and  the  size  of 
the  faculty  since  1890. 

Students  Students 

Year.                 Registered.  Faculty.  Year.  Registered.  Faculty. 

1890-M 7  3                   1904-05 406  37 

1891-92     6  3                   1905-06 430  44 

1892-93     13  3                   1906-07 462  50 

1893-94 5  3                   1907-08 528  61 

1894-95 9  3                    1908-09 531  63 

1895-96 14  3                   1909-10 660  74 

1896-97 17  6                   1910-11 729  74 

1897-98 19  8                   1911-12 829  100 

1898-99 25  9                    1912-13 905  120 

1899-00 90  16                   1913-14 1,014  137 

1900-01 159  17                    1914-15 1,184  149 

1901-02 232  23                    1915-16 1,255  153 

1902-03 284  27                    1916-17 1,202  153 

1903-04 339  37 

THE  MILITARY  DEPARTMENT 

The  military  department  of  the  University  has  developed  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Land  Grant  Act  of  1862  until  today  the  Uni- 
versity has  the  largest  student  enrollment  in  military  of  any  college  in 
the  United  States  and  probably  in  the  world.  October  30,  1915,  the 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  285 

trustees  authorized  the  creation  of  a  battery  of  field  artillery,  which  has 
already  become  well  organized.  All  freshmen  and  sophomores  are 
required  to  take  the  work.  The  Cadet  Brigade  consists  of  two  regiments 
of  infantry  (24  companies),  a  foot  battery  of  field  artillery,  signal 
corps,  engineer  company  and  hospital  company  (consisting  of  sopho- 
mores). There  are  2,279  cadets  including  the  band  of  165  men  and 
113  commissioned  officers.  By  virtue  of  his  position  the  president  of 
the  University  is  the  Colonel  of  the  Cadet  Brigade.  A  School  of  Mili- 
tary Aeronautics  was  opened  at  the  University  May  21,  1917,  in  co- 
operation with  the  United  States  government  and  in  the  summer  of 
1917  enrolled  about  200  cadets. 

LIBRARY  SCHOOL 

The  Library  School  was  transferred  to  the  University  of  Illinois 
from  Armour  Institute,  Chicago,  in  September,  1897,  two  years  of  col- 
lege work  being  required  for  er  trance;  in  1903  this  requirement  was 
raised  to  three  years,  and  in  1911,  to  four  years  of  college  work.  The 
school  draws  graduates  from  colleges  and  universities  in  all  parts  of 
the  United  States,  and  its  graduates  receive  appointments  to  libraries 
in  all  sections  of  the  United  States. 

Two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  students  have  completed  the  two  years 
of  work  and  have  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Library  Science; 
two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  others  have  completed  the  first  year's 
work.  About  four  hundred  are  now  engaged  in  library  work. 

THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL 

Although  for  many  years  the  University  of  Illinois  has  offered 
advanced  students  facilities  for  study  and  research  in  various  lines, 
graduate  work  was  undertaken  under  the  name  of  the  Graduate  School 
for  the  first  time  in  1892.  In  1894  the  administration  of  the  school 
was  vested  in  the  council  of  administration,  and  the  vice-president  of 
the  university  became  dean  of  the  school.  In  1906  the  Graduate  School 
was  organized  as  a  separate  faculty,  consisting  of  a  dean  and  members 
of  the  university  faculty  assigned  to  this  duty  by  the  president.  No 
means  of  support  were  provided,  however,  separate  from  those  provided 
for  undergraduate  work.  In  the  winter  of  1906-07  the  Forty-fifth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  State  passed  an  act  appropriating  $50,000  per  year 
for  the  support  of  a  Graduate  School  of  Fine  Arts  and  Sciences  in  the 
State  University.  This  is  the  first  time  in  history  when  a  State  Legis- 


286  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

lature  has  made  a  specified  appropriation  for  such  a  purpose,  and  the 
act  is  noteworthy  as  committing  a  democratic  government  definitely  to 
the  promotion  of  advanced  scholarship  and  research  in  lines  which  are 
not  primarily  practical.  This  appropriation  has  been  continued  by  suc- 
ceeding Legislatures,  and  has  enabled  the  university  to  carry  on  valuable 
investigations  for  the  State  and  promote  the  world's  knowledge,  thereby 
bettering  the  quality  of  instruction  and  establishing  the  reputation  of  the 
university  in  the  world  of  scholarship.  One  of  the  strongest  evidences 
of  educational  progress  of  any  university  lies  in  the  increased  estimation 
in  which  she  is  held  by  her  sister  institutions  throughout  the  country. 
Dean  Kinley,  in  writing  of  this,  said,  "Our  admission  to  the  Association 
of  American  Universities  and  the  consequent  recognition  of  our  graduate 
work  by  foreign  universities,  expressions  of  opinion  in  the  newspapers 
and  magazines  and  personally  by  distinguished  educators,  are  all  cumu- 
lative evidence  that  we  have  advanced  to  a  higher  educational  plane  in 
the  opinion  of  those  most  able  to  judge." 

At  the  present  time  the  School  of  Pharmacy  is  the  only  department 
of  the  university  which  does  not  require  full  standard  high  school 
preparation  for  admission  to  the  university.  After  September  1,  1916, 
by  action  of  the  board  of  trustees,  the  College  of  Pharmacy  required  the 
usual  fifteen  high  school  units. 

GENERAL  PEOGEESS  IN  TEACHING  AND  STUDENT  STRENGTH 

With  the  increased  appropriations  and  the  increased  attendance  has 
also  come  a  material  strengthening  of  the  teaching  force.  Salaries  of 
men  of  professional  rank  have  been  increased  50  per  cent,  and  distin- 
guished scholars  have  been  brought  to  the  university  from  all  over  the 
world.  The  standing  today  consequently  of  the  faculty  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  in  the  1903  edition  of  Who's  Who 
in  America  there  were  thirty-four  names  of  members  of  the  faculty  of  the 
University  of  Illinois,  while  the  edition  of  1916-17  gives  a  list  of  105,  a 
gain  of  about  200  per  cent.  Similarly  in  the  1906  edition  of  the 
American  Men  of  Science  there  were  six  members  of  the  faculty  of 
the  University  of  Illinois  among  the  1,000  greatest  scholars  of  the 
country,  while  in  1910  the  number  had  increased  to  seventeen. 

With  the  growth  and  variety  of  university  interests,  the  problem  of 
administration  became  more  and  more  complicated.  While  in  the  early 
days  matters  of  discipline  were  settled  by  the  faculty,  and  if  unsatis- 
factory, carried  to  the  board  of  trustees,  at  the  present  time  the  council 
of  administration,  which  is  made  up  of  the  president,  vice-president  and 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  287 

the  deans,  has  complete  control  of  discipline.  The  general  faculty  has 
given  way  to  the  University  Senate,  consisting  of  the  members  of  the 
council  and  all  full  professors;  although  each  college  maintains  its 
separate  faculty,  whose  action  in  important  matters  requires  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  senate  or  the  council. 

Naturally  the  increased  attendance  has  meant  increased  activity  in 
all  kinds  of  student  life.  Fraternities  and  sororities  have  almost  doubled 
in  number.  The  installation  of  a  chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  Sigma 
Xi,  Tau  Beta  Pi,  and  other  honorary  organizations,  is  a  tribute  of  the 
esteem  which  sister  institutions  in  the  country  hold  for  Illinois.  Inter- 
est has  developed  in  debate  and  oratory  and  at  the  same  time  a  record 
has  been  maintained  in  athletics  of  which  Illinoisans  may  be  proud. 
One  of  the  most  comprehensive  organizations  within  the  university  per- 
haps is  the  Illinois  Union.  It  came  into  existence  at  a  mass  meeting 
of  the  students  on  March  3,  1909.  The  union  is  an  organization  of  all 
Illinois  men,  whether  graduate,  undergraduate  or  faculty,  whose  purpose 
is  to  develop  good  fellowship  among  the  students  and  to  promote  the 
Illinois  spirit  by  all  possible  means.  It  is  hoped  that  a  club  building 
may  be  erected  at  an  early  date  and  greater  co-operation  established 
between  the  alumni  and  outgoing  students. 

One  of  the  sources  of  strength  to  any  institution  is  the  good  will  and 
co-operation  of  its  former  students.  The  interest  and  pride  of  the 
alumni  of  the  University  of  Illinois  in  its  work  seem  steadily  and 
plainly  to  increase.  The  Alumni  Record  made  its  first  appearance  in 
1906  and  contained  an  account  of  the  life  and  work  of  each  graduate 
of  the  institution  up  to  that  time,  as  well  as  similar  accounts  of  the 
faculty  and  trustees.  The  1913  publication  was  an  attempt  to  continue 
the  work,  expanding  and  correcting  the  biographies.  The  University  of 
Illinois  Directory  of  1916  is  the  first  attempt  to  locate  all  persons  who 
have  ever  been  connected  with  the  Urbana-Champaign  departments, 
the  35,000  names  being  arranged  both  alphabetically  and  geographically. 

The  university  has  grown  from  3  teachers  and  77  students  in  1868 
to  840  teachers,  55  administrative  officers,  a  library  staff  of  50,  and  6,828 
students  in  1917.  The  most  striking  development  has  occurred  within 
the  last  twenty  years.  More  degrees  were  conferred  annually  by  the 
Chicago  departments,  from  the  time  of  their  addition  to  the  university 
up  to  the  year  1907,  than  by  the  Urbana  departments.  In  1903  there 
were  301  degrees  conferred  by  the  Chicago  departments,  but  only  181  in 
1904,  because  of  the  raising  of  the  standards  of  the  school,  while  the 
Urbana  departments  have  increased  from  183  in  1902  to  989  in  1917, 
in  spite  of  the  increase  of  entrance  requirements.  More  degrees  were 


288  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUXTY 

conferred  by  the  Urbana  departments  of  the  university  in  1917  than 
were  conferred  in  all  the  years  from  1868  to  1898,  twelve  times  as  many 
as  in  1899,  and  over  twice  as  many  as  in  1908.  Altogether  since  its 
foundation  the  university  has  conferred  10,440  degrees  in  the  Urbana 
departments  and  in  all  its  departments  14,847  degrees.  On  June  15, 
1917,  the  university  conferred  1,166  degrees.  The  total  number  of 
degrees  conferred  by  the  university  in  1917  represents  a  larger  number 
than  the  total  attendance  at  the  University  of  Illinois  in  any  single 
year  prior  to  1898,  and  the  number  of  degrees  conferred  since  1910 
exceeds  the  number  of  degrees  conferred  in  the  entire  previous  history 
of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

Today  the  University  of  Illinois  has  one  of  the  largest  undergraduate 
departments  in  America  and  also  has  one  of  the  largest  enrollments  of 
men  students.  There  are  5,017  undergraduates,  of  whom  3,813  are  men. 
The  total  attendance  in  all  departments  of  the  university  is  5,187  men 
and  1,641  women.  All  of  these  except  about  500  are  nine-month  stu- 
dents and  this  fact  should  be  emphasized  in  all  comparative  college 
statistics,  where  night  and  Saturday  and  three-month  students  are 
included  in  the  college  enrollment. 

SUMMARY  OF  GROWTH,  1903-17 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  especially  during  the 
past  decade,  is  seen  especially  in  the  size  of  its  student  body  and  faculty, 
which  have  more  than  doubled,  by  its  land  holdings,  value  of  buildings 
and  size  of  the  library,  which  have  nearly  trebled.  The  following  table 
will  perhaps  present  a  useful  summary: 

Attendance,  Land, 

Faculty.        Urbana.       Chicago.  Acres.  Buildings. 

1903-04 351               2,674             1,042  641  $1,127,500 

1916-17 • 8401             6,757                558  2,483"  3,180,635 

Biennial  Library  Important 

Income.  Volumes.  Buildings. 

1903-04 $1,814,863.78  67,040  12 

1916-17 5,622,928.873  397,7184  52 

IMPORTANT  BUILDINGS  ERECTED  SINCE  1914 

Addition  to  Chemical  Laboratory  (to  May,  1916) $358,755.00 

Stock  Judging  Pavilion  ( 1914)  .". 110,355.00 

Administration   Building    (1915) 154.715.01 

New  Armory   (1915)     229,119.17 

1  With  a  total  of  868  as  at  February  21,  1917,  omitting  all  duplicates  and  in- 
cluding the  Chicago  departments  and  administrative  officers. 

2  Seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres  were  given  by  Capt.  T.  G.  Smith  on 
condition  that  the   university   would  erect   a  building   for  the   School   of   Music 
costing  at  least  $215,000.     The  figures  cited  do  not  include  leased  laud. 

s  Estimated  at  $6,200,000  for  1915-17. 
*  Excluding  pamphlets,  etc. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  289 

Ceramics  (1916)    $129,880.50 

Vivarium    ( 1916) 55,204.93 

Genetics  (1916)     11,100.00 

FROM  1908-14 

Auditorium    $143,143.58  Physics    $191,300.00 

Commerce 97,375.00  Horticultural  Glass  House. .     85,390.00 

Lincoln  Hall   224,875.00  Transportation 80,500.00 

Natural  History 184,200.00  Woman's    194,000.00 

CHIEF  BUILDINGS  BEFORE  1908 

University  Hall  (1873).  Agriculture   (1900). 

Law   (1878).  Library   (1897). 

Engineering  (1894).  Gymnasium  (1901). 

PROPOSED   BUILDINGS 

Woman's  Residence  Hall.  .  .$110,000.00       Addition  to  Natural  History  $75,000.00 

School  of  Education 140,000.00       Addition  to  Transportation,     30,000.00 

Smith  Music  Building 215,000.00       Agricultural  buildings    76,000.00 

Medicine  and  Pharmacy 100,000.00 

$746,000.00 

The  Smith  Music  Building  is  the  gift  of  Capt.  Thomas  J.  Smith  in 
honor  of  his  wife  and  will  supply  a  great  need.  It  is  the  first  large 
private  gift  made  to  the  university.  Mr.  Homer  A.  Stillwell  (la  1878-80) 
has  made  an  offer  of  $25,000  towards  the  Gregory  Memorial  Art  Build- 
ing to  be  erected  in  honor  of  the  first  president,  and  it  is  hoped  to 
make  this  an  alumni  gift  to  the  university. 

SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES  REORGANIZED  1906-16 

Graduate  School   (1906).  Colleges    of    Literature    and   Arts    and 

College   of  Medicine   and   College   of  Sciences  consolidated   (1913). 

Dentistry   (1913).  College  of  Commerce   (1915). 

SCHOOLS  AND  DEPARTMENTS  ADDED  1905-16 

Railway   Engineering   and  Administra-  Mining  Engineering  (1909). 

tion  (1907).  School  of  Education   (1905). 

Department  of  Ceramics  (1916).  Mine  Rescue  Station   (1909). 

State  Geological  Survey  (1905).  Summer  School  for  Coaches  (1914). 

Genetics   (1912).  Aeronautics    (1916). 

DR.  GREGORY'S  PREDICTION 

At  the  time  ex-President  Gregory  came  to  the  University  of  Illinois, 
he  states  in  an  address  at  the  dedication  of  University  Hall  that  when 
he  was  considering  accepting  the  presidency  of  the  institution  and  was 
interviewing  friends  in  Champaign  and  Chicago,  the  trustees  residing 
in  or  near  Champaign  expressed  the  generally  prevalent  faith  in  the 
institution,  that  it  was  to  be  "the  grandest  university  on  the  American 

1—19 


290 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


continent,"  and  in  his  concluding  remarks  at  this  dedication  he  says, 
"Some  of  those  who  are  here  today — the  youngest  of  you,  perhaps,  that 
hear  my  words — shall  come; here  on  other  anniversary  occasions  and 
attend  dedications  of  yet  other  halls  that  a  great  and  liberal  State, 
mindful  of  its  own  civilization,  its  own  grand  central,  commanding  posi- 
tion— the  keystone  of  the  continent — shall  consecrate  to  this  great  work. 
Gray-haired  and  sage,  you  will  recall  the  memories  of  this  day — you 
will  look  still  in  fancy  on  this  meeting  and  think  on  the  prediction 
this  day  made,  in  your  hearing." 

With  a  State  such  as  Illinois,  rich  in  resources  and  central  in  loca- 
tion, realizing  its  opportunities  in  its  State  university,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  prediction  of  its  founders  will  be  realized  at 
no  distant  date. 

GROWTH  OF  UNIVERSITY  BY  YEARS   1867-1917 


Year 

Faculty 

Students 

Degrees 

Books 

Bldgs. 

Biennial 

Urbana  Total.  T'rliana 

Urbana         Tot 

al.  Urbana 

Income 

and  Chicago 

an 

d  Chicago 

1867-68.. 

.       4 

77 

1 

$72,753.85 

1868-69.. 

.      11 

128        

1,092 

1 

1869-70.. 

.      19 

180 

3.646 

1 

133,278.72 

1870-71.. 

.      19 

278         

4,538 

1 

1871-72.. 

.     24 

381         

20 

7,307 

1 

193,102.47 

1872-73.. 

.     25 

400         

14 

.... 

8,427 

2 

1873-74.. 

.      25 

406         

19 

10,000 

3 

123,459.30 

1874-75.. 

.     30 

373        

37 

3 

1875-76.. 

.     27 

386        

28 

.... 

3 

183,870.11 

1876-77.. 

.     36 

388         

41 

3 

1877-78.. 

.     29 

377 

42 

4 

170,999.43 

1878-79.. 

.     33 

416        

23 

4 

1879-80.. 

.     30 

434        

25 

12,550 

3 

133,088.89 

1880-81.. 

.     28 

379        

46 

3 

1881-82.. 

.     26 

352        

34 

13,510 

3 

129,620.63 

1882-83.. 

.     24 

382         

36 

3 

1883-84.. 

.     25 

330         

42 

14,000 

3 

141,032.79 

1884-85.. 

.     27 

362         

45 

3 

1885-86.  . 

.     29 

332         

37 

15,300 

3 

149,677.77 

1886-87.  . 

.     29 

343        

30 

3 

1887-88.. 

.     29 

377 

34 

17,288 

3 

180,959.97 

1888-89.  . 

.     30 

418 

26 

3 

1889-90.  . 

.     32 

469        

43 

19,000 

3 

237,178.23 

1890-91.. 

.     39 

519        

58(9)i 

3 

1891-92.. 

.      43 

583         

51(9) 

21,216 

4 

359,144.14 

1892-93.. 

.      48 

714        

75(10) 

4 

1893-94.. 

.      67 

718         

78(9) 

5 

491,940.55 

1894-95.. 

.      80 

810        

75(1) 

27,750 

6 

1895-96.. 

.     84 

855        

82 

28.200 

9 

594,938.40 

1896-97.. 

.   170 

878       1,059 

95 

'i37 

30.100 

12 

1S97-98.. 

.  184 

1,034       1,582 

89 

232 

36,990 

13 

607,632.00 

1898-99.  . 

.   194 

1,152       1,824 

110 

265 

41,678 

12 

1899-00.. 

.  229 

1,531        2,260 

154(1) 

329 

44.502 

13 

947,486.98 

1900-01  .  . 

.    242 

1,709       2.564 

172 

388 

47.074 

15 

1901-02.. 

.  279 

2,020       3,016 

183 

484 

52,717 

18 

1,363,716.08 

1  Honorary  degrees  in  parenthesis  included  in  total. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


291 


Year 

Faculty 

Students 

Degrees 

Books 

Bldgs.     Biennial 

Urban  a 

Total,  Urbana 

Crbana      Tc 

ital,  Urbana 

income 

and  Chicago 

and  Chicago 

1902-03. 

..    316 

2,342 

3,381 

229(11) 

525 

57,594 

18 

1903-04. 

..   351 

2,674 

3,594 

313(9) 

628 

66,639' 

19 

$1,814,863.78 

1904-05. 

..    350 

2,779 

3,736 

270(27) 

591 

74,326 

27 

1905-06. 

..    408 

3,225 

4,107 

313(2) 

618 

83,136 

27 

2,166,372.29 

1906-07. 

..    442 

3,577 

4,341 

390(3) 

6081 

95,946 

28 

1907-08. 

..    472 

3,959 

4,770 

411(3) 

624 

108,283 

32 

3,102,761.42 

1908-09. 

..    497 

4,141 

4,966 

568 

799 

127,106 

33 

1909-10. 

..    538 

4,323 

5,131 

584(3) 

766 

157,836 

35 

3,199,832.34 

1910-11. 

..    555 

4,401 

5,217 

602(2) 

792 

180,371 

36 

1911-12. 

.  .    583 

4,340 

5,200 

646(2) 

861 

209,529 

44 

4,294,952.88 

1912-13. 

..    587 

4,369 

5,096 

682 

845 

233,586 

46 

1913-14. 

.  .    704 

4,766 

5.560 

848 

1.029 

262,926 

47 

5,622,928.87 

1914-15. 

..    739 

5,446 

6.002 

818 

983 

300,592 

53 

1915-16. 

..    762 

6,298 

6,437 

933 

1,129 

330,8952 

603 

6,278,590.69 

1916-17. 

..   840 

6,759 

6,828' 

989 

1,175 

397,710 

61 

Total.. 


10,440 


14,847 


ANNALS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 


A  complete  record  of  all  matters  referring  to  the  university  from 
the  passage  of  the  congressional  act  of  July  2,  1862,  donating  public 
lands  to  the  states  and  territories  which  designed  to  provide  colleges 
for  the  benefit  of  "agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,"  up  to  the  very 
last  event  of  yesterday,  has  been  prepared  by  the  university  scribes,  and 
arranged  and  published,  by  years,  in  the  1916  University  of  Illinois 
Directory.  Lack  of  space  induces  the  editor  of  this  work  to  condense 
from  the  annals  some  of  the  most  noteworthy  facts,  to  serve  as  an  adden- 
dum to  the  more  connected  history. 

FIRST  MEETING  OF  THE  BOARD  (1867) 


The  first  meeting  of  the  University  Board  of  Trustees  was  held  at 
Springfield,  March  12,  1867.  Nominations  for  the  position  of  regent 
being  called  for,  the  names  of  Hon.  Daniel  J.  Pickney  of  Ogle  County, 
Dr.  N.  N.  Wood  of  Morgan  County,  Hon.  J.  L.  Pickard  of  Cook  County, 
and  Dr.  John  Milton  Gregory  of  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  were  proposed. 
Dr.  Gregory  was  elected  and  granted  a  salary  of  $3,000  a  year.  A  com- 
mittee of  five,  with  the  regent  as  chairman,  was  selected  to  prepare  a 


1  Seven  of  these  are  honorary,  being  the  only  literary  degrees  ever  conferred 
by  Chicago  Departments. 

=  In  addition  June  1,  1917,  there  were  102,029  pamphlets,  4,123  pieces  of 
sheet  music,  3.188  maps,  and  the  libraries  of  the  College  of  Medicine  and  College 
of  Pharmacy  in  Chicago  contain  17,572  volumes  and  3.600  pamphlets. 

3  Four  additional  buildings  in  Chicago.  Fifty-one  of  these  sixty-four  build- 
ings have  a  valuation  in  excess  of  $5,000.  Figures  as  that  of  May  1,  1916. 

*  Excluding  duplicates. 


292  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUXTY 

course  of  study  and  to  report  to  the  board.  John  W.  Bunn  of  Spring- 
field was  elected  treasurer,  and  a  finance  committee  was  appointed  to 
serve  for  one  year.  Willard  C.  Flagg  of  Madison  County  was  elected 
corresponding  secretary;  0.  B.  Galusha  of  Grundy  County,  recording 
secretary.  The  board  passed  a  resolution  favoring  the  establishment  of 
a  mechanical  department  to  be  located  at  Chicago.  March  29th — An 
election  was  held  in  Urbana  and  Champaign  to  decide  whether  the  two 
cities  should  appropriate  $45,000  for  the  university,  Champaign  to  give 
$25,000;  Urbana,  $20,000.  The  vote  was  as  follows:  Champaign— 
For,  676 ;  against,  4.  Urbana — For,  406 ;  against,  0. 

On  March  29th  Dr.  Gregory  visited  Champaign  and  Urbana  for  the 
first  time,  and  on  April  1st  entered  upon  his  duties. 

UNIVERSITY  OPEN  TO  STUDENTS  (1868) 

On  March  2,  1868,  the  university  "opened  for  the  reception  of  stu- 
dents"— fifty-seven  students,  two  professors  and  the  head  farmer  the 
first  week.  Only  three  students  registered  the  first  day,  although  they 
had  been  urged  to  present  themselves  for  examination  on  the  first  day. 
Total  enrollment  for  first  term,  seventy-seven  students  (all  men),  with 
three  professors  (Thomas  J.  Burrill  being  employed  later  during  the 
term  as  instructor  in  botany).  Of  the  seventy-seven  students,  forty-five 
came  from  Champaign  County;  the  rest  from  nineteen  counties  of  the 
State.  The  larger  number  of  the  students  were  of  preparatory  rather 
than  of  university  grade.  The  following  departments  were  organized, 
classical  as  well  as  industrial  subjects  being  offered :  I.  Science,  Litera- 
ture and  Arts;  II.  Agriculture;  III.  Mechanical  Science  and  Art;  IV. 
Military  Tactics  and  Engineering;  V.  Mining  and  Metallurgy;  VI. 
Civil  Engineering;  VII.  Analytical  and  Applied  Chemistry;  VIII.  Nat- 
ural History,  Practical  Geology,  etc. ;  IX.  Commercial  Science  and  Art. 
The  broad  plan  of  organization  of  Regent  Gregory  has  had  a  deep  influ- 
ence on  the  entire  history  of  the  university. 

The  inaugural  ceremonies  and  formal  opening  of  the  university 
occurred  March  10,  1868,  Hon.  S.  W.  Moulton  presiding.  The  music 
was  under  the  direction  of  George  F.  Root  of  Chicago,  who  set  to  music 
the  dedication  hymn,  written  by  Dr.  Gregory,  as  follows : 

We  hail  thee !  Great  Fountain  of  learning  and  light ; 
There's  life  in  thy  radiance,  there's  hope  in  thy  might 
We  greet  now  thy  dawning,  but  what  singer's  rhyme, 
Shall  follow  thy  course  down  the  ages  of  time  ? 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  293 

O'er  homes  of  the  millions,  o'er  rich  fields  of  toil, 
Thy  science  shall  shine  as  the  sun  shines  on  soil, 
And  Learning  and  Labor — fit  head  for  fit  hand — 
Shall  crown  with  twin  glories  our  broad  prairie  land. 

And  as  generations,  in  the  grand  march  of  time, 
Shall  fill  the  long  ages  with  numbers  sublime, 
Thy  portals  shall  throng  with  the  lowly  and  great 
Thy  Science-crowned  children  shall  bless  all  the  State. 

Then  hail  thee !  blest  fountain  of  labor  and  light, 
Shine  on  in  thy  glory,  rise  ever  in  might; 
We  greet  now  thy  dawning;  but  ages  to  come 
Must  tell  of  the  grandeur,  and  shout  Harvest  Home. 

Letters  from  Governor  Oglesby,  Senator  Yates  and  Gen.  John  A. 
Logan  were  read.  The  principal  address  was  delivered  by  Newton  Bate- 
man,  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  General  Hurlbut  then 
introduced  Dr.  Gregory.  The  exercises  were  followed  by  a  banquet  in 
the  dining  hall  of  the  university. 

The  following  extract  quoted  from  Dr.  Gregory's  inaugural  address 
gives  a  clear  idea  of  the  fundamental  plan  underlying  the  pioneer  days 
of  the  university,  which  has  been  developed  in  detail  into  a  broad 
present-day  system  of  learning  and  training:  "We  shall  effect  the 
more  formal  and  more  perfect  union  of  labor  and  learning.  These  two 
will  be  married  in  indissoluble  bonds  at  our  altars.  The  skilled  hand 
and  the  thinking  brain  will  be  found  compatible  members  of  the  same 
body.  Science,  leaving  its  seat  in  the  clouds  and  coming  down  to  work 
with  men  in  shop  and  field,  will  find  not  only  a  new  stimulus  for  its 
studies,  but  better  and  clearer  light  for  its  investigations  and  surer  tests 
for  its  truths.  And  labor,  grown  scientific,  will  mount  to  richer  prod- 
ucts as  well  as  easier  processes.  Thus  these  two,  Thought  and  Work, 
which  God  designed  to  go  together,  will  no  longer  remain  asunder. 
Labor  itself  will  be  elevated  to  honor.  Labor  will  be  made  more  pro- 
ductive. Our  national  power  and  perpetuity  will  be  greatly  promoted. 
But  there  remains  a  grander  and  a  broader  triumph  than  all  these.  If 
we  succeed,  we  shall  demonstrate  the  practicability  and  point  out  the 
path  of  universal  education.  Let  us  but  demonstrate  that  the  highest 
culture  is  compatible  with  the  active  pursuit  of  industry,  and  that  the 
richest  learning  will  pay  in  a  corn  field  or  a  carpenter's  shop,  and  we 
have  made  universal  education  not  only  a  possible  possession,  but  a 


294  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

fated  necessity  of  the  race.     Prove  that  education  in  its  highest  form 
will  'pay/  and  you  have  made  for  it  the  market  of  the  world." 

1870 

The  Department  of  Mechanical  Engineering  was  created  in  February, 
1870.  In  the  following  August,  by  a  vote  of  five  to  four  of  the  trustees, 
it  was  decided  to  admit  women  to  the  university.  In  September,  the 
committee  appointed  by  the  various  agricultural  societies  of  the  State  to 
investigate  the  rather  extensively  circulated  criticism  of  the  Illinois 
Industrial  University  that  it  was  primarily  a  classical  school  reported 
that  "it  was  not." 

In  September,  1870,  student  government  was  adopted.  The  legis- 
lative body  consisted  of  a  general  assembly  elected  by  a  vote  of  the 
students.  The  judicial  department  was  a  council  of  five  chosen  from 
the  general  assembly,  and  the  executive  department  consisted  of  a 
president  and  vice-president  of  the  government,  an  adjutant  for  each 
building  and  hall  sergeants. 

1871 

In  February,  1871,  the  first  building  appropriation  for  the  university 
was  introduced  into  the  Legislature.  It  provided  for  $100,000  a  year 
for  two  years  for  a  main  building,  and  $12,500  a  year  for  two  years 
for  a  mechanical  engineering  building,  besides  $25,000  a  year  for  run- 
ning expenses,  apparatus,  etc.  As  passed  in  the  following  month,  the 
bill  provided  $75,000  for  a  building  to  cost  not  more  than  $150,000, 
and  $75,000  more  was  to  be  appropriated  at  an  adjourned  session.  This 
was  done  and  the  building  was  completed  at  the  expense  of  university 
funds. 

On  September  13,  1871,  the  Drill  Hall  and  the  Mechanical  Shops 
were  opened  and  the  corner-stone  of  University  Hall  was  laid.  In 
November  appeared  "The  Student,"  the  first  publication  to  be  issued 
by  the  students  of  the  university. 

1872,  1873,  1874 

In  February,  1872,  was  organized  the  University  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association;  in  June  the  Alumni  Association  was  founded,  and  in 
July  the  board  of  trustees  reaffirmed  the  basic  plan  of  the  university 
by  passing  a  resolution  declaring  that  agriculture  and  the  mechanic 
arts  were  the  primary  studies  of  the  institution,  "all  others  being 
secondary." 


296  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

In  September,  1873,  the  name  of  "The  Student"  was  changed  to 
"The  Illini." 

University  and  Adelphi  halls  were  dedicated  in  December,  1873,  and 
Philomathean  Hall  in  May,  1874. 

1876,  1877 

A  preparatory  department  was  established  in  March,  1876.  In 
June  the  board  of  trustees  passed  a  resolution  condemning  secret  socie- 
ties "as  detrimental  to  the  scheme  of  self-government  attempted  by  the 
students." 

In  March,  1877,  the  School  of  Art  and  Design  was  established,  and 
in  September  of  that  year  the  chemical  laboratory  was  located  and 
Major  Dinwiddie,  the  first  army  commandant,  took  charge  of  the  mili- 
tary department. 

1881,  1882 

In  December,  1881,  the  regent  reported  to  the  board  of  trustees 
that  the  faculty  had  passed  rules  providing  that  no  student  could  enter 
the  university  until  he  had  pledged  himself  not  to  join  a  fraternity; 
and  that  no  student  should  graduate  until  he  had  certified  that  he  had 
not  belonged  to  any  while  in  the  university.  The  adoption  of  these 
rules  had  disclosed  the  existence  of  four  societies  whose  members  peti- 
tioned the  faculty  to  rescind  the  rules.  The  faculty  turned  the  petition 
over  to  the  board,  which  recommended  that  the  request  be  refused. 
Like  petitions  presented  the  following  spring  met  with  the  same  action. 

In  June,  1882,  it  was  decided  to  build  an  astronomical  observatory, 
and  in  September  it  was  opened. 

1884,  1885,  1886,   1887 

The  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  was  organized  in  March, 
1884. 

In  June,  1885,  the  Legislature  changed  the  name  "Illinois  Industrial 
University"  to  "The  University  of  Illinois."  In  December  of  that  year 
the  attorney-general  of  the  State  sustained  the  faculty  ruling  against 
secret  university  societies,  and  although  the  students  had  a  Chicago 
lawyer  appear  before  the  board  of  trustees  in  December  and  plead  the 
case  of  the  fraternities,  the  latter  body  stood  behind  its  original  ruling. 

In  September,  1886,  the  Legislature  passed  a  bill  providing  for  the 
popular  election  of  university  trustees. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  297 

One  of  the  really  noteworthy  dates — April  23,  1887 — the  students 
adopted  the  old  college  yell,  originated  by  C.  P.  Vangundy — "Rah  Hoo 
Rah,  Zip  Boom  Ah,  Hip  Zoo  Ra  Zoo,  Jimmy  blow  your  bazoo,  Ip-sid- 
di-i-ki,  U.  of  I.,  Champaign." 

1891,  1892,   1893,  1894 

A  committee  of  the  board  of  trustees  recommended,  June  10,  1890, 
that  the  preparatory  department  "be  dispensed  with  as  soon  as  adequate 
provision  for  doing  its  work  is  made  by  some  public  or  private  institution 
located  in  the  vicinity  of  the  university." 

In  September,  1891,  the  Electrical  Engineering  Department  was 
established,  and  in  March,  1892.  the  corner-stone  of  the  Natural  History 
Hall  was  laid.  The  board  of  trustees  voted  an  appropriation  for  a 
woman's  gymnasium  in  November,  1892. 

The  office  of  registrar  was  created  in  September,  1893. 

Dr.  A.  S.  Draper  was  elected  regent  in  April,  1894. 

1896,  1897 

In  August,  1896,  the  Chemical  Laboratory  was  partially  destroyed 
by  fire  caused  by  lightning,  loss  $40,000.  In  the  following  month  the 
corner-stone  of  the  Library  Building  was  laid.  In  April,  1896,  the 
Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  was  affiliated  with  the  university,  and  in 
March,  1897,  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chicago  also 
became  by  affiliation  its  Medical  Department.  In  September  of  the 
latter  year  the  College  of  Law  was  opened. 

1899,  1900 

The  Department  of  Domestic  Science  was  established  in  March,  1899 ; 
the  Christian  Association  House  opened  in  September  of  that  year;  the 
Department  of  Pedagogy  and  School  of  Household  Science  was  founded 
in  September,  1900,  and  the  Agricultural  Building  was  completed 
and  opened  at  the  same  time. 

1901-1904 

In  May,  1901,  the  Chicago  School  of  Dentistry  was  affiliated  with 
the  University  of  Illinois. 

The  University  Senate  was  created  in  September,  1901.  In  the  fol- 
lowing month  the  Chicago  School  of  Dentistry  opened  as  a  department 


298  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  the  university,  and  in  March,  1902,  the  School  of  Commerce  was 
organized.  The  university  water  works  plant  was  also  completed  at  the 
date  last  named. 

The  new  Chemistry  Building  was  opened  in  September,  1902. 

In  December,  1903,  the  Engineering  Experiment  Station  was  organ- 
ized, and  the  name  of  the  Preparatory  Department  was  changed  to  the 
Academy  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

EDMUND  J.  JAMES  BECOMES  PRESIDENT 

Work  was  begun  on  the  Woman's  Building  April  1,  1904,  and  on 
August  19th  of  that  year  occurred  the  election  of  Edmund  J.  James  to 
the  presidency  of  the  university. 

The  Department  of  Forestry  and  Landscape  Gardening  was  estab- 
lished in  September,  1904. 

1905-1910 

December,  1905,  marks  the  appointment  of  student  advisers  from 
the  faculty. 

On  University  Memorial  Day,  May  29,  1906,  a  reception  was  given 
to  Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles.  On  the  following  day  he  reviewed  the  uni- 
versity regiment  and  gave  the  Decoration  Day  address.  The  corner-stone 
of  the  new  Auditorium  was  also  laid. 

The  board  of  trustees  created  the  position  of  supervising  architect 
June  4,  1907. 

In  September,  1907,  The  Illini  becomes  The  Daily  Illini.  In  Octo- 
ber ground  was  broken  for  the  erection  of  the  University  Club  Building. 

NEW  AUDITORIUM  DEDICATED 

On  November  4-5,  1907,  the  new  Auditorium  was  dedicated  with  a 
series  of  concerts  and  other  exercises  in  honor  of  Edward  McDowell. 
Addresses  by  the  architect  of  the  building,  Clarence  H.  Blackall,  and 
Prof.  Newton  A.  Wells,  designer  of  the  memorial  tablet,  and  by  Presi- 
dent James;  but  the  chief  address  was  by  Hamlin  Garland,  who  was 
an  intimate  friend  of  McDowell.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building  was  com- 
pleted in  June,  1908,  and  in  September  the  Christian  Association  House, 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Men's  and  Women's  associations,  was  given 
over  to  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Y,  W.  C.  A. 

In  May,  1909,  the  corner-stone  of  Osborne  Hall  was  laid  by  Bishop 
Edward  W.  Osborne. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  299 

In  December,  1909,  the  board  of  trustees  authorized  the  president 
to  accept  from  the  commission  of  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Hall  of  Fame 
a  picture  of  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick,  and  his  name  was  duly  enrolled 
therein,  with  appropriate  ceremonies  in  the  University  Auditorium. 
The  portrait  was  unveiled  by  Miss  Muriel  McCormick.  granddaughter  of 
the  inventor. 

The  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Eailway  Company  presented  to  the 
university  a  locomotive  testing  plant,  in  June,  1910. 

In  August  of  that  year  was  laid  the  corner-stone  of  Lincoln  Hall. 

1911-1916 

In  January,  1911,  the  name  of  James  Nicholas  Brown  was  enrolled 
in  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Hall  of  Fame,  he  being  the  second  man  to 
receive  that  honor. 

In  March  of  the  same  year  was  held,  at  the  university,  the  second 
annual  conference  of  the  presidents  of  the  smaller  colleges  of  Illinois, 
the  purpose  of  the  meetings  being  to  bring  each  of  the  colleges  in  closer 
touch  with  the  others,  and  also  to  effect  a  closer  relationship  with  the 
university. 

On  September  17,  1912,  ground  was  broken  for  the  new  Armory,  an 
initial  legislative  appropriation  of  $100,000  having  been  made.  In 
November  the  Archaeological  Museum  was  opened  in  Lincoln  Hall,  and 
in  December  the  contract  was  awarded  for  the  erection  of  a  new  Y.  W. 
C.  A.  building. 

In  April,  1913,  the  first  locomotive  was  installed  in  the  new  Loco- 
motive Testing  Laboratory  presented  by  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Eailway,  and  the  new  Commerce  Building  was  formally  dedicated. 

On  April  29,  1913,  word  was  received  of  the  death  of  former  presi- 
dent Dr.  Andrew  S.  Draper  in  Albany,  New  York. 

On  November  4,  1913,  a  dinner  was  given  in  honor  of  Prof.  N.  C. 
Bicker,  founder  of  the  architectural  department,  and  a  professor  who 
had  seen  forty  years  of  faithful  service  with  the  university.  In  the 
same  month  the  $60,000  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Building  was  dedicated. 

The  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  addition  to  the  Chemical  Build- 
ing occurred  October  9,  1914. 

In  January,  1915,  was  organized  Keramos,  the  first  ceramics  fra- 
ternity in  the  United  States,  with  fourteen  charter  members. 

In  June,  1915,  the  military  department  was  gratified  to  receive  the 
announcement  that  the  Legislature  had  appropriated  $125,000  for  the 
organization  of  a  battery  of  171  members. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  AUDITORIUM 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  301 

The  new  Administration  Building  was  occupied  in  September,  1915, 
and  the  College  of  Commerce  opened;  also  the  corner-stone  of  the  new 
Ceramics  Building  was  laid. 

In  November,  1915,  Battery  F  was  organized  among  the  faculty  and 
students  as  part  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard.  A  six  years'  course  in 
dentistry  was  established  by  vote  of  the  University  Senate,  in  December, 
1915,  and  in  the  following  January  a  site  for  the  Pharmacy  School  was 
purchased  in  Chicago. 

DEATH  OF  DR.  T.  J.  BUBRILL 

On  April  14,  1916,  occurred  the  sudden  death  of  Dr.  T.  J.  Burrill, 
who  had  been  connected  with  the  university  since  its  foundation,  in  the 
Natural  Science  departments,  as  dean  and  regent,  and  during  the  last 
two  years  of  his  life  as  professor  of  Botany,  emeritus.  His  funeral, 
which  was  largely  attended,  was  held  at  the  Auditorium.  No  member  of 
the  faculty  had  more  or  warmer  friends  and  admirers  than  Professor 
Burrill.  On  June  13th,  Alumni  Day,  a  special  convocation  was  held 
in  his  honor. 

1916-1917 

June  21st — Battery  F  goes  to  Mexican  border. 
September — Engineering  College  adds  Department  of  Aeronautics. 
October  21st — Laying  of  corner-stone  of  Woman's  Residence  Hall. 
December  7th — Dedication  of  Ceramics  Building. 

1917 

January  25th — Hon.  W.  B.  McKinley  gives  $120,000  for  erection  of 
infirmary  for  students. 

May  21st — School  of  Military  Aeronautics  established  by  United 
States  Government  at  university. 

ADMINISTRATION 

To  the  foregoing  historical  sketch,  as  edited  and  brought  up  to  date 
by  Dr.  Phelps,  is  to  be  added  certain  information  gleaned  from  the 
"Annual  Register"  of  the  university  for  1916-17,  which  is  its  official 
yearly  publication.  From  its  pages  it  is  gathered  that  the  government 
of  the  university  is  vested  by  law  primarily  in  a  board  of  trustees, 
consisting  of  twelve  members.  The  governor  of  the  State,  the  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction  and  the  president  of  the  State  Board  of 


302  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY 

Agriculture  are  members  ex-officio.  The  other  nine  members  are  elected 
by  the  people  of  the  State  for  terms  of  six  years;  the  terms  of  three 
members  expire  every  second  year. 

The  administration  of  the  university  is  vested  by  the  board  of  trustees 
in  the  president  of  the  university,  the  vice-president,  the  senate,  the 
council  of  administration,  the  faculties  of  the  several  colleges,  and  the 
deans  of  the  colleges  and  directors  of  the  schools. 

The  president  is  the  administrative  head  of  the  university. 

The  senate  is  composed  of  the  full  professors  and  those  other  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty  who  are  in  charge  of  separate  departments  of  the 
various  colleges  and  schools.  It  is  charged  with  the  direction  of  the 
general  educational  policy  of  the  university. 

The  council  of  administration  is  composed  of  the  president,  the  vice- 
president,  the  dean  of  the  Graduate  School,  the  deans  of  men  and  women, 
and  the  deans  of  the  several  colleges.  It  constitutes  an  advisory  boaid 
to  the  president,  and  has  exclusive  jurisdiction  over  all  matters  of  dis- 
cipline. The  council  does  not  determine  educational  policy;  but  when 
any  matter  arises  which  has  not  been  provided  for  by  common  usage  or 
by  rule  of  the  senate  and  cannot  be  conveniently  laid  over  until  the 
next  meeting  of  the  senate,  the  council  may  act  upon  the  same  according 
to  its  discretion. 

The  faculties  of  the  colleges  and  schools  of  the  university,  composed 
of  the  members  of  the  corps  of  instruction  of  these  colleges  and  schools, 
have  jurisdiction,  subject  to  higher  university  authority,  over  all  matters 
which  pertain  exclusively  to  these  organizations. 

The  dean  of  the  Graduate  School,  the  deans  of  the  several  colleges, 
and  the  directors  of  the  schools  are  responsible  for  the  carrying  out  of 
all  university  regulations  within  their  respective  departments. 

DEPARTMENTS  AND  COURSES 

For  the  purpose  of  administration  the  university  is  divided  into  sev- 
eral colleges  and  schools.     These  are  not  educationally  separate,  but  are 
interdependent  and  form  a  single  unit. 
The  colleges  and  schools  are  as  follows : 

I.     The  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences. 
II.     The  College  of  Commerce  and  Business  Administration. 

III.  The  College  of  Engineering. 

IV.  The  College  of  Agriculture. 
V.     The  Graduate  School. 

VI.     The  Library  School. 


IIISTOHY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  303 

VII.  The  School  of  Music. 

VIII.  The  School  of  Education. 

IX.  The  School  of  Eailway  Engineering  and  Administration. 

X.  The  College  of  Law. 

XI.  The  One-year  Medical  College. 

XII.  The  College  of  Medicine. 

XIII.  The  College  of  Dentistry. 

XIV.  The  School  of  Pharmacy. 

The  three  institutions  last  named  are  located  in  Chicago. 

THE  COUNCIL  OP  ADMINISTRATION 

Edmund  Janes  James,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  president. 

David  Kinley,   Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  vice-president,  dean  of  the   Graduate 

School,  and  professor  of  economics. 
Eugene  Davenport,  M.  Agr.,  LL.  D.,  dean  of  the  College  of  Agriculture, 

director  of  agricultural  extension  service,  and  professor  of  threm- 
matology. 

Thomas  Arkle  Clark,  B.  L.,  dean  of  men  and  professor  of  rhetoric. 
Charles  Euss   Eichards,  M.  E.,  dean  of  the   College  of  Engineering, 

director  of  the  School  of  Eailway  Engineering  and  Administration. 
Kendric  Charles  Babcock,  B.  Lit.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  dean  of  the  College  of 

Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences. 
Frederick  Brown  Moorehead,  A.  B.,  D.  D.  S.,  M.  D.,  dean  of  the  College 

of  Dentistry  and  professor  of  oral  surgery  and  pathology. 
Daniel  Atkinson  King  Steele,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  senior  dean  of  the  College 

of  Medicine,  professor  of  surgery  and  clinical  surgery,  and  head  of 

the  department  of  surgery. 
Albert  Chauncey  Eycleshymer,  Ph.  D.,  M.  D.,  junior  dean  of  the  College 

of  Medicine,  professor  of  anatomy,  and  head  of  the  department  of 

anatomy. 
Nathan  Austin  Weston,  Ph.  D:,  acting  dean  of  the  College  of  Commerce 

and  Business  Administration  and  assistant  professor  of  economics. 
Henry  Winthrop  Ballantine,  LL.  B.,  dean  of  the  College  of  Law  and 

professor  of  law. 
Fanny  Cook  Gates,  Ph.  D.,  dean  of  women. 

GENERAL  ADMINISTRATIVE  OFFICERS 

OFFICE  OF  THE  PRESIDENT 
Edmund  Janes  James,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  president. 
Edward  Joseph  Filbey,  Ph.  D.,  private  secretary  to  the  president. 
Vergil  Vivian  Phelps,  B.  D.,  Ph.  D.,  executive  secretary. 


304  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

OFFICE  OF  THE  VICE-PRESIDENT 

David  Kinley,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  vice-president. 

OFFICE   OF   THE   REGISTRAR 

Charles  Maxwell  McConn,  A.  M.,  registrar. 

Harrison  Edward  Cunningham,  A.  B.,  assistant  registrar. 

Levi  Augustus  Boice,  recorder. 

Ira  Melville  Smith,  LL.  B.,  examiner. 

George  Philip  Tuttle,  Jr.,  B.  S.,  assistant  examiner. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  COMPTROLLER 

Lloyd  Morey,  A.  B.,  B.  Mus.,  C.  P.  A.,  acting  comptroller. 
Marsh  Everett  Thompson,  cashier. 
Ennes  Charles  Eayson,  A.  B.,  auditor. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  DEAN  OF  MEN 

Thomas  Arkle  Clark,  B.  L.,  dean. 

Arthur  Eay  Warnock,  A.  B.,  assistant  dean. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  DEAN  OF  WOMEN 

Fanny  Cook  Gates,  Ph.  D.,  dean. 

ADVISER  TO   FOREIGN   STUDENTS 

Arthur  Romeyn  Seymour,  Ph.  D.,  adviser. 

OFFICE  OF  THE   HIGH   SCHOOL  VISITOR 

Horace  Adelbert  Hollister,  A.  M.,  high  school  visitor. 

John  Joseph  Didcoct,  A.  M.,  M.  S.,  assistant  high  school  visitor. 

INFORMATION   OFFICE 

Burt  Eardley  Powell,  Ph.  D.,  director,  university  historian,  and  editor 
of  press  bulletins. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  SUPERVISING  ARCHITECT 

James  McLaren  White,  B.  S.,  supervising  architect. 

Ralph  Leverett  Kelley,  B.  S.,  assistant  to  the  supervising  architect. 

Joseph  Morrow,  superintendent  of  buildings. 

Evelyn  Atkinson,  superintendent  of  grounds. 

UNIVERSITY    HEALTH    OFFICER 

Joseph  Howard  Beard,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  health  officer. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  FOR  MEN 

George  A.  Huff,  director. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PHYSICAL  TRAINING  FOR   WOMEN 

Louise  Freer,  13.  S.,  director. 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  305 

DEPARTMENT  OF  MILITARY  SCIENCE 

Eobert  Walter  Mearns,  major  Twelfth  U.   S.   Infantry,  professor  and 

commandant. 
Clement  Augustus  Trott,  captain  U.  S.  Infantry,  assistant  professor  and 

assistant  commandant. 
William  James  Davis,  captain  U.  S.  Infantry,  assistant  professor  and 

assistant  commandant. 
Joseph  Howard  Barnard,  captain  U.  S.  Cavalry,  assistant  professor  and 

assistant  commandant. 
Robert  Ross  Welshimer,  captain  U.  S.  Coast  Artillery  Corps,  assistant 

professor  and  assistant  commandant. 
Frederick  William  Post,  first  sergeant  U.  S.  A.,  retired,  administrative 

assistant. 

THE   UNIVERSITY    LIBRARY 

Phineas  Lawrence  Windsor,  Ph.  B.,  director. 

Francis  Keese  Wynkoop  Drury,  A.  M.,  B.  L.  S.,  assistant  librarian. 

CURATORS 
Frank  Smith,  A.  M.,  professor  of  systematic  zoology  and  curator  of  the 

Museum  of  Natural  History. 
Arthur  Stanley  Pease,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  the  classics  and  curator  of  the 

Museum  of  Classical  Art  and  Archeology. 
Neil  Conwell  Brooks,  Ph.  D.,  assistant  professor  of  German  and  curator 

of  the  Museum  of  European  Culture. 

THE  COLLEGES  AND  SCHOOLS 

THE  COLLEGE  OF  LIBERAL  ARTS  AND  SCIENCES 
Kendric  Charles  Babcock,  B.  Lit.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  dean. 
Howard  Vernon  Canter,  Ph.  D.,  assistant  dean. 

THE   COLLEGE   OF    COMMERCE   AND   BUSINESS   ADMINISTRATION 

Nathan  Austin  Weston,  Ph.  D.,  acting  dean. 

THE  COLLEGE  OF  ENGINEERING 

Charles  Russ  Richards,  M.  E.,  dean. 

THE  COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE 

Eugene  Davenport,  M.  Agr.,  LL.  D.,  dean. 
Fred  Henry  Rankin,  assistant  to  the  dean. 

THE   COLLEGE   OF   LAW 

Henry  Winthrop  Ballantine,  LL.  B.,  clean. 

1—20 


306  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

THE  GRADUATE  SCHOOL 

David  Kinley,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  dean. 

THE   LIBRARY   SCHOOL 

Phineas  Lawrence  Windsor,  Ph.  B.,  director. 
Frances  Simpson,  M.  L.,  B.  L.  S.,  assistant  director. 

THE  SCHOOL  OF  MUSIC 

John  Lawrence  Erb.,  F.  A.  G.  0.,  director. 

THE    SCHOOL   OF    EDUCATION 

William  Chandler  Bagley,  Ph.  D.,  director. 
John  Alfred  Stevenson,  A.  M.,  secretary. 

THE    SCHOOL    OF    RAILWAY    ENGINEERING    AND   ADMINISTRATION 

Charles  Russ  Richards,  M.  E.,  director. 

THE   ONE-YEAR   MEDICAL   COLLEGE 

Kendric  Charles  Babcock,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  dean. 

THE  SUMMER  SESSION,  1917 

Kendric  Charles  Babcock,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  director. 

THE  COLLEGE  OJF  MEDICINE 

Daniel  Atkinson  King  Steele,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  senior  dean. 
Albert  Chauncey  Eycleshymer,  B.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  M.  D.,  junior  dean. 
William  Henry  Browne,  secretary. 

THE    COLLEGE    OF   DENTISTRY 

Frederick  Brown  Moorehead,  A.  B.,  D.  D.  S.,  M.  D.,  dean. 
William  Henry  Browne,  secretary. 

THE  SCHOOL  OF  PHARMACY 

William  Baker  Day,  Ph.  G.,  acting  dean  and  secretary. 
THE  UNIVERSITY  SENATE 

Edmund  Janes  James,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  president. 

Nathan  Clifford  Ricker,  D.  Arch.,  professor  of  architecture,  emeritus. 
Ira  Osborn  Baker,  C.  E.,  D.  Eng.,  professor  of  civil  engineering. 
Stephen  Alfred  Forbes,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  entomology. 
Charles  Wesley  Rolfe,  M.  S.,  professor  of  geology. 

Arthur  Newell  Talbot,  C.  E.,  professor  of  municipal  and  sanitary  engi- 
neering. 
Samuel  Wilson  Parr,  M.  S.,  professor  of  applied  chemistry. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  307 

Herbert  Jewett  Barton,  A.  M.,  professor  of  the  Latin  language  and  lit- 
erature, chairman  of  the  department  of  the  classics,  and  secretary  of 
the  senate. 

Charles  Melville  Moss,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  the  Greek  language  and 
literature. 

Daniel  Kilham  Dodge,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  the  English  language  and 
literature. 

David  Kinley,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  economics,  vice-president  and 
dean  of  the  Graduate  School. 

Eugene  Davenport,  M.  Agr.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  thremmatology,  dean 
of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  director  of  the  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  and  director  of  Agricultural  Extension  Service. 

Albert  Pruden  Carman,  A.  M.,  D.  Sc.,  professor  of  physics. 

Evarts  Boutell  Greene,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  history. 

Thomas  Arkle  Clark,  B.  L.,  professor  of  rhetoric  and  dean  of  men. 

Arthur  Hill  Daniels,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  philosophy. 

Newton  Alonzo  Wells,  M.  P.,  professor  of  architectural  decoration. 

Isabel  Bevier,  Ph.  M.,  professor  of  household  science  and  director  of  the 
courses  in  household  science. 

Cyril  George  Hopkins,  M.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  agronomy. 

Morgan  Brooks,  Ph.  B.,  M.  E.,  professor  of  electrical  engineering. 

George  A.  Huff,  director  of  physical  training  for  men. 

James  McLaren  White,  B.  S.,  professor  of  architectural  engineering  and 
supervising  architect. 

Herbert  Windsor  Mumford,  B.  S.,  professor  of  animal  husbandry. 

Maurice  Henry  Robinson,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  industry  and  transporta- 
tion. 

Joseph  Cullen  Blair,  M.  S.  A.,  professor  of  horticulture. 

Horace  Adelbert  Hollister,  A.  M.,  professor  of  education  and  high  school 
visitor. 

Oliver  Albert  Harker,  A.  M.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  law. 

Edward  John  Lake,  B.  S.,  assistant  professor  of  art  and  design  and  act- 
ing head  of  the  department  of  art  and  design. 

Thomas  Edward  Oliver,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  Romance  languages. 

Wilber  John  Fraser,  M.  S.,  professor  of  daily  farming. 

Frederick  Green,  A.  M.,  LL.  B.,  professor  of  law. 

Harry  Sands  Grindley,  D.  Sc.,  professor  of  animal  nutrition. 

James  Wilford  Garner,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  political  science. 

Edgar  Jerome  Townsend,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  mathematics. 

Edward  Bartow,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  sanitary  chemistry  and  director  of 
the  State  Water  Survey. 


308  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

William  Albert  Noyes,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  chemistry  and  direc- 
tor of  the  Chemical  Laboratory. 

Ernest  Eitson  Dewsnup,  A.  M.,  professor  of  railway  administration. 

George  Abram  Miller,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  mathematics. 

Edward  Gary  Hayes,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  sociology. 

William  Chandler  Bagley,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  education  and  director  of 
the  School  of  Education. 

Julius  Goebel,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  German. 

George  Alfred  Goodenough,  M.  E.,  professor  of  thermodynamics. 

Phineas  Lawrence  Windsor,  Ph.  B.,  Librarian  and  director  of  the  Library 
School. 

Boyd  Henry  Bode,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  philosophy. 

Henry  Baldwin  Ward,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  zoology. 

Harry  Harkness  Stoek,  B.  S.,  E.  M.,  professor  of  mining  engineering. 

Edward  Charles  Schmidt,  M.  E.,  professor  of  railway  engineering. 

Stuart  Pratt  Sherman,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  English. 

Charles  Buss  Bichards,  M.  E.,  M.  M.  E.,  professor  of  mechanical  engi- 
neering and  head  of  the  department  of  mechanical  engineering,  dean 
of  the  College  of  Engineering,  director  of  the  Engineering  Experi- 
ment Station,  and  director  of  the  school  of  Railway  Engineering  and 
Administration. 

Charles  Spencer  Crandall,  M.  S.,  professor  of  pomology. 

Edward  Harris  Decker,  A.  B.,  LL.  B.,  professor  of  law  and  acting  libra- 
rian of  the  College  of  Law. 

John  Archibald  Fairlie,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  political  science. 

John  William  Lloyd,  M.  S.  A.,  professor  of  olericulture. 

Jeremiah  George  Mosier,  B.  S.,  professor  of  soil  physics. 

John  Norton  Pomeroy,  A.  M.,  LL.  B.,  professor  of  law. 

Louie  Henrie  Smith,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  plant  breeding. 

Bruce  Willet  Benedict,  B.  S.,  director  of  shop  laboratories  in  the  depart- 
ment of  mechanical  engineering. 

Wrilliam  Edward  Burge,  Ph.  D.,  assistant  professor  of  physiology  and 
acting  head  of  the  department  of  physiology. 

Ernest  Ludlow  Bogart,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  economics. 

William  Green  Hale,  B.  S.,  LL.  B.,  professor  of  law. 

Madison  Bentley,  B.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  psychology  and  director  of 
the  Psychological  Laboratory. 

Charles  Frederick  Hottes,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  plant  physiology. 

Harry  Alexis  Harding,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  dairy  bacteriology  and  head 
of  the  department  of  dairy  husbandry. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  309 

Kendric  Charles  Babcock,  B.  Lit.,  Ph.  D.,  LL.D.,  dean  of  the  College  of 

Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences  and  dean  of  the  One-year  Medical  College. 
Charles  Hughes  Johnston,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  secondary  education. 
William  Trelease,  D.  Sc.,  LL.  D.,  professor  of  botany  and  acting  head  of 

the  department  of  botany. 

John  Sterling  Kingsley,  D.  Sc.,  professor  of  zoology. 
Clarence  Walworth  Alvord,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  history. 
William  Shirley  Bayley,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  geology. 
Walter  Costella  Coffey,  M.  S.,  professor  of  sheep  husbandry. 
Laurence  Marcellus  Larson,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  history. 
Otto  Eduard  Lessing,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  German. 
Ellery  Burton  Paine,  M.  S.,  E.  E.,  professor  of  electrical  engineering  and 

acting  head  of  the  department  of  electrical  engineering. 
Henry  Lewis  Eietz,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  mathematical  statistics. 
Charles  Mulford  Robinson,  A.  M.,  professor  of  civic  design. 
Frank  Smith,  A.  M.,  professor  of  systematic  zoology  and  curator  of  the 

Museum  of  Natural  History. 
Joel  Stebbins,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  astronomy. 
Edward  Wight  Washburn,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  ceramic  chemistry  and 

head  of  the  department  of  ceramic  engineering. 

Loring  Harvey  Provine,  B.  S.,  A.  E.,  professor  of  architectural  engineer- 
ing and  acting  head  of  the  department  of  architecture. 
Frank  Lincoln  Stevens,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  plant  pathology. 
Herbert  Fisher  Moore,  B.  S.,  M.  M.  E.,  research  professor  of  engineering 

materials. 
John  Lawrence  Erb,  F.  A.  G.  0.,  director  of  the  School  of  Music  and 

university  organist. 
Frederick  Haynes  Xewell,  B.  S.,  D.  Eug.,  professor  of  civil  engineering 

and  head  of  the  department  of  civil  engineering. 
Kenneth  McKenzie,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  Romance  languages  and  head 

of  the  department  of  Romance  languages. 
William  Abbott  Oldfather,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  the  classics. 
John  Driscoll  Fitz-Gerald  II,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  Spanish. 
Charles  Alton  Ellis,  A.  B.,  professor  of  structural  engineering. 
Louise  Freer,  B.  S.,  director  of  physical  training  for  women. 
Oscar  Adolph  Leutwiler,  M.  E.,  professor  of  machine  design. 
Arthur  Stanley  Pease,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  the  classics  and  curator  of 

the  Museum  of  Classical  Art  and  Archeology. 
Nathan  Austin  Weston,   Ph.  D.,   assistant  professor  of  economics   and 

acting  dean  of  the  College  of  Commerce  and  Business  Administration. 
Guy  Montrose  Whipple,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  education. 


310  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Charles  Zeleny,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  zoology. 

Robert  Walter  Mearns,  major  Twelfth  U.  S.  Infantry,  professor  of  mili- 
tary science  and  tactics  and  commandant. 

Eliot  Blackwelder,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  geology. 

Barry  Gilbert,  A.  B..  LL.  B.,  professor  of  law. 

Albert  Howe  Lybyer,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  history. 

Richard  Chace  Tolman,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  physical  chemistry. 

Franklin  William  Scott,  Ph.  D.,  assistant  professor  of  English,  chair- 
man and  secretary  of  the  department  of  English. 

Ernest  Bernbaum,  Ph.  D.,  professor  of  English. 

Henry  Winthrop  Ballantine,  LL.  B.,  professor  of  law  and  dean  of  the 
College  of  Law. 

Cullen  Warner  Parmelee,  B.  S.,  professor  of  ceramic  engineering. 

The  officers  of  administration,  therefore,  number  155,  of  whom  59 

are  men  and  46  women;  the  library  staff  comprising  7  men  and  43 

women. 

NUMERICAL  STRENGTH  OF  THE  FACULTY 

The  university  faculty,  or  officers  of  instruction  at  Urbana,  is  classi- 
fied as  follows,  according  to  colleges,  schools  and  departments : 

Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences — Professors,  46  men;  associate  professors, 
9  men ;  assistant  professors,  20  men ;  associates,  24  men  and  1  woman ; 
special  lecturers,  3  men;  instructors,  44  men  and  8  women;  assistants, 
87  men  and  15  women;  graduate  assistants,  22  men  and  8  women; 
student  assistants,  6  men.  Total  in  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences, 
293 ;  261  men  and  32  women. 

One-Year  Medical  College — Professors,  3  men;  assistant  professors, 
20  men ;  associates,  24  men  and  1  woman ;  instructors,  3  men ;  assistants, 
6  men  and  2  women;  graduate  assistants,  1  man.  Total,  21;  19  men 
and  2  women. 

College  of  Commerce  and  Business  Administration — Professors,  4 
men;  assistant  professors,  3  men;  special  lecturers,  1  man;  instructors, 
12  men;  assistants,  7  men.  Total,  27  men. 

College  of  Engineering — Professors,  21  men;  associate  professors,  3 
men;  assistant  professors,  19  men;  associates,  20  men;  instructors,  35 
men;  assistants,  19  men.  Total,  117  men. 

College  of  Agriculture — Professors,  13  men  and  1  woman;  associate 
professors,  2  men;  assistant  professors,  18  men  and  1  woman;  associates, 
17  men  and  6  women;  instructors,  24  men  and  7  women;  assistants,  30 
men  and  7  women.  Total,  126;  104  men  and  22  women. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  311 

School  of  Music — Professor,  1  man;  assistant  professor,  1  man; 
instructors,  6  men  and  3  women.  Total,  11;  8  men  and  3  women. 

College  of  Law — Professors,  7  men;  assistant  professor,  1  man. 
Total,  8  men. 

Library  School — Professor,  1  man;  assistant  professor,  1  woman; 
special  lecturer,  1  woman ;  instructors,  2  women.  Total,  6 ;  2  men  and 
4  women. 

Department  of  Military  Science — Professor,  1  man;  assistant  pro- 
fessors, 4  men;  student  assistants,  10  men.  Total,  15  men. 

Department  of  Physical  Training  (separate  departments,  1  for  men, 
2  for  women) — Professors,  1  man  and  1  woman;  assistants,  2  men  and 
2  women;  student  assistant,  1  woman.  Total,  16;  9  men  and  7  women. 

Department  of  Photography — Instructor,  1  man. 

Total  officers  of  instruction  at  Urbana,  641,  as  follows :  Professors, 
98  men  and  2  women;  associate  professors,  14  men;  assistant  professors, 
69  men  and  2  women;  associates,  68  men  and  7  women;  special  lecturers, 
4  men  and  1  woman;  instructors,  128  men  and  23  women;  assistants, 
151  men  and  26  women;  graduate  assistants,  23  men  and  8  women; 
student  assistants,  16  men  and  1  woman.  Grand  total,  641 ;  571  men 
and  70  women. 

The  officers  of  instruction  in  Chicago  are  divided  as  follows : 

College  of  Medicine — Professors,  29  men;  associate  professors,  6 
men  and  1  woman ;  assistant  professors,  23  men  and  1  woman ;  associates, 
8  men;  special  lecturers,  3  men;  instructors,  59  men  and  2  women; 
assistants,  15  men  and  3  women;  student  assistants,  5  men.  Total,  155; 
148  men  and  7  women. 

College  of  Dentistry — Professors,  8  men;  assistant  professors,  6 
men;  associates,  2  men;  special  lecturers,  2  men;  instructors,  9  men; 
assistants,  4  men  and  1  woman;  student  assistants,  5  men.  Total,  37; 
36  men  and  1  woman. 

School  of  Pharmacy — Professor,  1  man;  assistant  professors,  2  men; 
special  lecturer,  1  man ;  instructors,  3  men.  Total,  7  men. 

Total  of  officers  of  instruction  in  Chicago,  199. 

Grand  total  of  instructors  in  university,  840. 

EXPERIMENT  STATIONS  AND  SCIENTIFIC  BUREAUS 

As  most  valuable  adjuncts  to  the  university  are  several  experiment 
stations  and  bureaus  engaged  in  practical  research  work. 


312  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

The  most  important  of  these  institutions  is  the  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  which  has  been  in  successful  operation  for  nearly  thirty 
years  and  now  carries  a  staff  of  more  than  100  instructors  and  officials. 
Its  director  is  Dean  Eugene  Davenport  and  vice-director  Dr.  Cyril  G. 
Hopkins. 

By  an  act  approved  March  2,  1887,  the  National  Government  appro- 
priated $15,000  a  year  to  each  State  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  and 
maintaining,  in  connection  with  the  colleges  founded  upon  the  congres- 
sional act  of  1862,  agricultural  experiment  stations,  "to  aid  in  acquiring 
and  diffusing  among  the  people  of  the  United  States  useful  and  prac- 
tical information  on  subjects  connected  with  agriculture,  and  to  promote 
scientific  investigation  and  experiment  respecting  the  principles  and 
applications  of  agricultural  science."  Under  this  provision  the  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Station  of  the  University  of  Illinois  was  founded  in 
1888  and  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  trustees  of  the  university; 
a  part  of  the  university  farm,  with  buildings,  was  assigned  for  its  use. 

The  Federal  grant  has  since  been  increased  to  $30,000  a  year.  This 
is  supplemented  by  State  appropriations  which  make  an  aggregate  fund 
of  nearly  $250,000  devoted  wholly  to  research  in  agriculture. 

Investigations  are  conducted  in  the  growing  and  marketing  of  orchard 
fruits,  the  methods  of  production  of  meats  and  of  dairy  goods,  the  prin- 
ciples of  animal  breeding  and  of  nutrition,  and  the  improvement  of 
the  economic  production  of  crops.  All  the  principal  types  of  soil  of 
the  State  are  being  studied  in  the  laboratory  under  glass  and  in  the 
field.  A  soil  survey  is  in  progress  which  when  finished  will  map  and 
describe  the  soil  of  every  farm  of  the  State  down  to  an  area  of  ten 
acres.  Between  forty  and  fifty  fields  and  orchards  are  operated  in  vari- 
ous portions  of  the  State  for  the  study  of  local  problems,  and  assistants 
are  constantly  on  the  road  to  conduct  experiments  or  to  give  instruction 
to  producer  or  consumer.  The  results  of  investigation  are  published 
in  bulletins,  which  are  issued  in  editions  of  40,000,  and  distributed  free 
of  charge. 

Much  of  this  work  is  of  interest  to  students,  especially  of  graduate 
grade,  and  it  is  freely  available  for  this  purpose,  so  far  as  is  consistent 
with  the  interests  of  the  station. 

ENGINEERING  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

The  Engineering  Experiment  Station,  established  by  action  of  the 
board  of  trustees  December  8,  1903,  is  under  the  immediate  direction 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  313 

of  Dean  Charles  R.  Richards,  assisted  by  Clarence  S.  Sale  and  ten 
special  investigators  and  twelve  research  fellows.  The  purposes  of  this 
station  are  the  stimulation  and  elevation  of  engineering  education,  and 
the  study  of  problems  of  special  importance  to  professional  engineers, 
and  to  the  manufacturing,  railway,  mining  and  industrial  interests  of 
the  State  and  the  country.  The  control  of  the  station  is  vested  in  the 
heads  of  the  several  departments  of  the  College  of  Engineering.  These 
constitute  the  station  staff  and,  with  the  director,  determine  the  character 
and  extent  of  the  investigations  to  be  undertaken. 

STATE  LABORATORY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

In  1885  the  General  Assembly  passed  an  act  transferring  the  State 
Laboratory  of  Natural  History  from  the  Illinois  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity to  the  University  of  Illinois.  This  laboratory  was  created  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  natural  history  survey  of  the  State,  the  results 
of  which  should  be  published  in  a  series  of  bulletins  and  reports;  and 
for  the  allied  purpose  of  furnishing  specimens  illustrative  of  the  flora 
and  fauna  of  the  State  to  the  public  schools  and  to  the  State  museum. 
For  these  purposes  direct  appropriations  are  made  by  the  Legislature 
from  session  to  session.  Material  of  all  classes  has  been  collected  in  all 
parts  of  the  State,  field  observations  and  experiments  have  been  con- 
ducted, extending  over  many  years,  and  fifteen  volumes  have  been 
published  in  the  form  of  bulletins  and  final  reports. 

The  most  important  problem  upon  which  the  work  of  the  survey  is 
at  present  concentrated  is  the  effect  of  drainage  operations,  sewage  con- 
taminations, and  other  results  of  industrial  occupancy  upon  the  general 
system  of  life  in  our  principal  rivers. 

THE  STATE  ENTOMOLOGIST'S  OFFICE 

Dr.  Stephen  A.  Forbes  is  director  of  the  laboratory.  He  is  also  the 
head  of  the  State  Entomologist's  Office. 

The  work  of  the  State  Entomologist's  Office  has  been  done  at  the 
University  of  Illinois  since  January,  1885;  by  legislative  enactment  in 
1899  it  was  permanently  established  at  the  university,  the  trustees  of 
which  are  required  by  that  act  to  provide  for  the  entomologist  and  his 
assistants  such  office  and  laboratory  rooms  as  may  be  necessary  to  the 
performance  of  their  duties. 

It  is  the  duty  of  this  officer  to  investigate  all  insects  dangerous  to 
any  valuable  property  or  dangerous  to  the  public  health,  and  to  conduct 


314  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

experiments  for  the  control  of  injury  to  persons  or  property  by  insects, 
publishing  the  results  of  his  researches  biennially  in  his  official  report. 
He  is  required  also  to  inspect  and  certify  annually  all  Illinois  nurseries 
and  all  importations  of  nursery  stock,  and  to  maintain  a  general  super- 
vision of  the  horticultural  property  of  the  State  with  respect  to  its 
infestation  by  dangerous  insects  and  its  infection  with  contagious  plant 
disease. 

Twenty-nine  reports  have  now  been  published  by  the  entomologist, 
fifteen  of  them  since  the  transfer  of  his  office  to  the  university. 

STATE  WATER  SURVEY 

The  director  of  the  State  Water  Survey  is  Dr.  Edward  Bartow.  A 
chemical  survey  of  the  waters  of  the  state  was  begun  in  the  latter  part 
of  September,  1895.  Two  years  later  the  Legislature  authorized  the 
continuance  of  the  work  and  directed  the  trustees  of  the  University 
to  establish  a  chemical  and  biological  survey  of  the  waters  of  the  State. 
In  1911  the  Legislature  made  an  increased  appropriation  and  imposed 
additional  duties  on  the  State  Water  Survey,  authorizing  it  to  employ 
field  men  to  inspect  water  supplies  and  watersheds,  and  to  make,  free  of 
charge,  sanitary  examinations  of  water  for  citizens  of  Illinois.  The 
survey  has  collected  data  concerning  the  most  of  the  water  supplies  and 
sewerage  systems,  and  many  watersheds,  making  chemical  and  bacterio- 
logical examinations  to  demonstrate  the  sanitary  condition  of  water 
supplies  and  streams,  and  to  determine  standards  of  purity  for  drink- 
ing waters.  The  survey  advises  municipal  authorities  how  best  to 
obtain  and  conserve  an  adequate  supply  of  pure  water  for  domestic  and 
manufacturing  purposes.  In  1915  a  small  appropriation  was  made  for 
the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a  sewage-experiment  station. 

The  survey  is  a  division  of  the  department  of  chemistry  of  the 
University  of  Illinois.  Offices  and  special  laboratories  are  equipped  in 
the  Chemistry  Building  for  conducting  the  work. 

STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

The  Forty-fourth  General  Assembly  passed  an  act — in  force  July 
1,  1905 — providing  for  the  establishment  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
of  the  State  Geological  Survey.  It  is  under  the  control  of  a  com- 
mission, of  which  the  president  of  the  University  is  an  ex  officio  member 
and  secretary.  Governor  Frank  0.  Lowden  is  chairman  of  the  com- 
mission and  Professor  T.  C.  Chamberlin,  vice-chairman.  The  director 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  315 

of  the  staff  is  Frank  W.  DeWolf  and  he  is  assisted  by  fourteen  chemists 
and  geologists,  an  engineering  draftsman  and  a  geographer  in  charge 
of  the  topographical  surveys. 

The  purpose  of  the  survey  is  primarily  the  study  and  exploration  of 
the  mineral  resources  of  Illinois.  Field  parties  are  organized  for  the 
investigation  of  oil,  clay,  coal,  stone,  artesian  water,  cement  materials, 
and  road  materials,  and  for  general  scientific  investigations.  The  sur- 
vey is  charged  also  with  the  duty  of  making  a  complete  topographical 
and  geological  survey  of  the  state.  Topographical  and  geological  sur- 
veys are  now  being  carried  on  in  cooperation  with  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey.  These  will  lead  to  the  publication  of  a  series  of 
bulletins  and  maps,  eventually  covering  the  entire  state. 

The  Forty-fifth  General  Assembly  further  charged  the  commission 
with  the  duty  of  making  surveys  and  studies  of  lands  subject  to  over- 
flow, with  a  view  to  their  reclamation.  Work  has  been  carried  on  in 
cooperation  with  the  Eivers  and  Lakes  Commission,  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey,  and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
along  the  Sangamon,  Kaskaskia,  Big  Muddy,  Little  Wabash,  Embarrass, 
Spoon,  Pecatonica,  and  Saline  rivers.  Reports  have  been  issued  on  the 
Little  Wabash,  Kaskaskia,  Spoon  and  Embarrass. 

The  laboratory  work  is  done  in  connection  with  various  department 
laboratories  of  the  University.  The  equipment  includes  a  working 
library,  maps,  and  a  growing  collection,  illustrating  the  geological  and 
the  economical  resources  of  the  state.  Thirty-five  bulletins,  a  mono- 
graph, and  a  large  number  of  maps  have  been  published.  Many  tem- 
porary assistants  besides  the  regular  corps  are  employed  each  summer. 

Under  an  agreement  between  the  State  Geological  Survey  and  the 
Engineering  Experiment  Station  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Mines  on  the  other,  a  branch  station  has  been  located  at 
Urbana  for  a  cooperative  investigation  of  the  Illinois  coal  mining  indus- 
try. The  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly  made  appropriations  to  carry 
on  the  work  for  two  years,  and  the  Forty-eighth  and  Forty-ninth  Gen- 
eral Assemblies  repeated  the  appropriations  for  equal  periods. 

BOARD  OF  EXAMINEES  IN  ACCOUNTANCY 

By  a  law  passed  in  1903  the  State  University  is  made  an  examining 
board  of  applicants  for  certificates  as  certified  public  accountants.  To 
carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  law  the  board  of  trustees  have  appointed 
a  board  of  three  examiners  to  prepare,  conduct,  and  grade  examinations, 
and  a  University  committee  to  conduct  the  routine  work.  Under  the 


316  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUXTY 

law  one  examination  must  be  held  each  year,  in  May,  but  examinations 
have  been  held  also  in  November  or  December  of  each  year  in  which 
there  were  a  sufficient  number  of  applicants.  All  the  examinations  thus 
far  given  have  been  held  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 

Applicants  for  the  certificate  of  Certified  Public  Accountant  are 
required  to  pass  examinations  in  the  theory  of  accounts,  commercial  law, 
auditing  and  practical  accounting. 

The  Illinois  Society  of  Certified  Public  Accountants  offers  annually 
a  gold  medal  and  a  silver  medal  to  be  awarded  to  the  persons  passing 
the  C.  P.  A.  examination  Vith  the  highest  total  marking  in  all  subjects 
and  with  the  second  highest  total  marking  in  all  subjects  respectively. 

The  chairman  of  the  board  of  examiners  is  James  Hall  of  Chicago, 
and  the  chairman  of  the  University  committee,  Dean  David  Kinley. 

INVESTIGATION  OF  ILLINOIS  COAL  PROBLEMS 

The  Engineering  Experiment  Station,  through  the  department  of 
mining  engineering  of  the  University  of  Illinois,  the  State  Geological 
Survey  and  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines  (of  which  Van  H.  Man- 
ning is  director)  are  cooperating  in  the  investigation  of  some  of  the 
problems  connected  with  the  mining  of  coal  in  the  State  of  Illinois, 
under  authority  granted  by  the  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly.  This 
cooperative  work  is  constructive  as  well  as  statistical,  based  upon  accu- 
rate data  and  taking  account  of  all  existing  conditions,  to  enable  the 
operators  and  miners  of  the  state  to  produce  coal  more  safely,  more 
cheaply  and  with  less  waste.  A  staff  of  trained  mining  engineers,  geolo- 
gists and  chemists  has  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  coal  industry 
of  Illinois. 

ACCREDITED  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Fifteen  iinits  of  high  school,  or  other  secondary  school  work,  are 
required  for  entrance  to  the  University,  without  special  examination,  and 
the  high  schools  of  Champaign  County  which  cover  the  prescribed  units 
are  these:  Champaign,  Fisher,  Homer  Township,  Rantoul,  Tolono  and 
Urbana. 

UNIVERSITY  HONORS 

The  expression  is  not  uncommon,  in  speaking  of  a  university  alum- 
nus, "he  graduated  with  honors."  To  the  university  student  this  means 
much ;  to  the  outsider  it  is  often  an  undefined  phrase.  It  is  to  the 
latter  that  an  explanation  is  due,  as  applied  to  the  University  of  Illinois, 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  317 

which  gives  public  official  recognition  to  such  students  as  attain  a  high 
grade  of  scholarship  in  certain  years  and  in  special  lines.  Preliminary 
honors  are  assigned  at  the  completion  of  the  sophomore  year  on  the 
basis  of  the  average  of  the  grades  received  during  the  freshman  and 
sophomore  years  in  all  studies  except  military  and  physical  training; 
final  honors  on  graduation,  based  on  the  scholarship  attained  during  the 
junior  and  senior  years.  Special  honors  are  awarded  at  the  close  of  the 
senior  year  on  special  courses,  and  no  student  is  eligible  for  them  who 
has  received  a  grade  of  less  than  eighty  per  cent  in  any  subject.  An 
acceptable  thesis  must  be  prepared  on  the  subject,  or  group  of  allied 
subjects  in  which  the  honors  are  proposed.  The  faculty  of  the  College 
of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences  recommends  candidates  for  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts  "with  honors"  in  a  particular  subject.  The  student 
must  have  completed  the  work  offered  for  his  major  with  an  average  of 
not  less  than  ninety  per  cent,  and  that  offered  for  his  minor  with  an 
average  of  not  less  than  eighty-five;  a  thesis  is  also  required  in  his 
major  subject.  Candidates  for  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  the 
college  are  eligible  for  final  and  special  honors.  Especially  high  schol- 
arship also  brings  freshmen  honors  in  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and 
Sciences. 

PRIZES  AND  MEDALS 

The  university  engages  yearly  in  four  intercollegiate  debates,  the 
teams  being  chosen  by  competition.  The  I.  M.  I.  Debating  League  com- 
prises the  universities  of  Illinois,  Minnesota  and  Iowa;  the  Midwest, 
Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin;  the  Northern  Oratorical,  Northwest- 
ern University,  Oberlin  College,  and  the  state  universities  of  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Michigan,  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin ;  and  the  Intercollegiate  Peace 
Association  offers  cash  prizes  on  the  outcome  of  the  orations  delivered 
on  some  phase  of  the  peace  question.  Through  the  generosity  of  Wil- 
liam B.  McKinley,  a  gold  watch  is  presented  to  every  speaker  who  rep- 
resents the  University  of  Illinois,  either  in  debate  or  in  oratory. 

A  medal  valued  at  $20  and  two  medals  of  the  value  of  $10  each 
are  offered  annually  by  the  University  to  the  high  schools  of  the  state 
for  the  best  orations  delivered  in  a  competitive  contest  between  their 
representatives.  The  Thacher  Rowland  Guild  Memorial  prize  of  $25 
is  offered  by  the  friends  of  the  former  instructor  in  English  for  the  best 
one-act  play  produced  by  an  undergraduate  of  the  University;  the  St. 
Patrick's  Day  prize  of  $50  for  the  best  essay  on  a  subject  connected 
with  ancient  Irish  literature,  history,  or  archaeology;  the  William  Jen- 
nings Bryan  prize  of  $25  for  the  best  essay  on  the  science  of  govern- 


318  HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ment,  and  the  B'nai  B'rith  prizes  aggregating  $50  for  the  most  meri- 
torious essays  on  Jewish  subjects. 

The  department  of  architecture,  a  division  of  the  College  of  Engi- 
neering, offers  a  fellowship  of  $1,000  through  Francis  J.  Plym,  a  Uni- 
versity graduate,  the  holder  being  required  to  spend  a  year  in  study 
and  travel  abroad;  an  annual  prize  of  $50  is  established  by  Joseph 
C.  Llewellyn  of  Chicago  for  competition  in  architectural  engineering; 
medals  are  also  offered  by  the  American  Institute  of  Architects  and  the 
Scarab  Society,  while  the  American  Academy  in  Rome  holds  out  its 
grand  prize  of  three  years'  residence  and  travel  abroad  for  the  study  of 
classic  and  renaissance  architecture.  The  department  of  military  sci- 
ence is  awarded  various  medals  as  rewards  for  individual  proficiency  in 
marksmanship  and  drill — bronze  medals  open  to  teams  of  the  infantry, 
artillery  and  signal  corps  which  shall  make  the  greatest  number  of 
points  and  the  highest  scores  at  target  practice;  a  gold  medal  for  the 
best  drilled  student,  with  a  minimum  annual  grade,  and  the  Hazelton 
prize  medal,  also  for  individual  excellence  in  drill,  with  and  without 
arms. 

SCHOLAESHIPS  AND  FELLOWSHIPS 

The  scholarships  with  which  the  University  is  identified  include  the 
following:  Under  a  legislative  law  passed  in  1905,  each  county  of  the 
state  is  awarded  a  scholarship  limited  to  a  successful  candidate  for 
entrance  to  the  University,  at  least  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  covering 
the  matriculation  fee  of  $10  and  the  annual  incidental  fee  of  $24;  also 
a  scholarship  carrying  the  same  advantages  and  confined  to  each  assem- 
bly district  of  the  state ;  a  like  scholarship  in  ceramic  engineering  offered 
to  each  county  in  Illinois  on  the  nomination  of  the  Illinois  Clay  Work- 
ers' Association;  to  each  county  in  the  state,  except  Cook  and  Lake,  and 
to  each  of  the  first  congressional  districts,  one  scholarship  to  prospective 
students  in  the  College  of  Agriculture,  upon  the  recommendation  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Institute,  and  one  for  can- 
didates for  the  household  science  department  in  either  the  College  of 
Agriculture  or  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences,  upon  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  county  domestic  science  associations,  or  for  coun- 
ties and  districts  in  which  there  are  no  such  organizations,  on  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  Illinois  Farmers'  Institute;  four  free  scholarships 
in  music  provided  by  Capt.  Thomas  J.  Smith  of  Champaign,  preferably 
to  candidates  from  that  county,  and  covering  all  expenses  for  a  musical 
instruction  during  one  year;  the  Joseph  T.  Ryerson  &  Son  scholarships 
(two)  of  the  American  Railway  Master  Mechanics'  Association,  each 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  319 

providing  for  an  annual  stipend  of  $300  to  be  paid  to  the  beneficiary 
during  his  four  years'  engineering  course  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
the  University  of  Wisconsin,  or  Purdue  University  (next  examination 
for  scholarships  in  June,  1919)  ;  students  who  attain  the  rank  of  com- 
missioned officers  of  the  University  Corps  of  Cadets  are  entitled  to  annual 
military  scholarships  equal  in  value  to  the  University  incidental  fees  for 
one  year;  eight  scholarships  in  the  College  of  Law  open  to  students  of 
the  first  and  second  years,  four  of  $12  each  and  four  of  $6  each ;  sum- 
mer session  scholarships  exempting  all  teachers  in  the  state  who  are 
qualified  to  matriculate  as  University  students  from  the  payment  of 
the  regular  tuition  fee,  and  scholarships  and  fellowships  for  graduate 
students  who  are  pursuing  such  special  research  work  as  is  pursued  at 
the  engineering  experiment  station  and  in  literature.  Among  the  latter 
is  the  research  fellowship  in  Gaelic. 

Through  its  president,  Hon.  J.  P.  McGoorty,  the  Irish  Fellow- 
ship Foundation  of  Chicago  has  offered  the  University  the  sum  of  $1,000 
as  an  honorarium  for  the  fellow,  whose  duty  it  will  be  to  pursue  research 
in  Irish  language  and  literature  at  the  University  of  Illinois.  An  addi- 
tional sum  of  $200  was  given  for  the  traveling  expenses  of  the  appointee. 
To  this  fellowship  the  University  appointed  the  Eev.  Andrew  O'Kelleher, 
formerly  of  the  department  of  Celtic  in  the  University  of  Liverpool. 
The  fellow  is  now  at  the  University  and  is  pursuing  his  work.  His 
researches  will  doubtless  in  time  be  gathered  and  published  as  a  contribu- 
tion to  scholarship  in  the  field  of  Celtic  language  and  literature. 

LOAN  FUXDS 

In  1899,  Edward  Snyder,  professor  of  the  German  language  and  lit- 
erature, emeritus,  gave  to  the  University  $12,000  to  be  lent  to  worthy 
and  scholarly  students  of  the  junior  and  senior  classes  and  the  Graduate 
School  who  need  aid  to  complete  their  work.  The  loans  range  from 
$50  to  $150  (to  a  junior)  and  $200  (to  a  senior,  or  graduate). 

The  fund  of  $100  established  by  the  class  of  1895  is  open  to  mem- 
bers of  the  freshmen  classes. 

The  Graduate  Club,  in  1907-08,  founded  a  fund  of  $75  for  graduate 
students. 

In  1910,  the  Woman's  League,  of  the  University,  gave  $409.44,  which 
is  available  for  any  woman  matriculated  in  the  University. 

In  September,  1912,  William  B.  McKinley  turned  over  to  the  Univer- 
sity notes  aggregating  more  than  $12,000,  to  be  used  as  a  loan  fund  for 
undergraduate  men,  with  preference  to  upper  class  men. 


320  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Gordon  Strong  of  Chicago  has  offered  $250,  for  1916-17,  to  be  loaned 
to  self-supporting  students  of  high  scholastic  attainments. 

In  1915,  President  James  established  the  Margaret  Lange  James 
Loan  Fund,  in  memory  of  his  wife.  His  original  fund  of  $5,000  was 
supplemented  by  other  gifts  until  the  fund  now  amounts  to  $5,650. 
The  loans  are  made  to  matriculated  students,  preferably  women,  who 
have  resided  at  the  University  at  least  one  year,  have  reached  junior 
rank,  and  who  have  declared  their  intention  to  graduate. 

UNIVERSITY  EXTENSION  WORK 

Extension  work  has  not  been  organized  as  a  separate  administrative 
unit  in  the  University  of  Illinois.  Several  departments,  however,  have 
initiated  activities,  both  on  the  campus  and  in  the  state  at  large,  which 
serve  to  make  some  of  the  facilities  of  the  University  available  to  groups 
of  mature  persons  who  are  engaged  in  various  industries  and  professions. 

AGRICULTURE 

Each  of  the  departments  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  does  extension 
work  and,  so  far  as  possible,  provides  special  men  for  this  purpose.  In 
addition  to  this,  a  separate  service  known  as  Agricultural  College  Exten- 
sion, offers  courses  in  the  principles  and  methods  of  extension  work, 
conducts  extension  enterprises  that  do  not  deal  with  technical  subjects, 
and  co-operates  with  the  other  departments  in  projecting  their  work  in 
the  state. 

Some  of  the  more  general  college  extension  enterprises  are : 

(1)  A  two  weeks'  course  in  agriculture,  known  as  the  Corn  Grow- 
ers'   and    Stockmen's    Convention,    held    annually    at    the    College    of 
Agriculture  since  1898.     The  work  includes  lectures,  conferences  and 
demonstrations    in    the    subjects    of    stock-judging,    milk-testing,    farm 
mechanics  and  farm  crops.    (Omitted  in  1915  and  1916  on  account  of 
the  "foot-and-mouth  disease.") 

(2)  Agricultural  extension  schools  of  a  week's  duration. 

(3)  Demonstrations  held  in  connection  with  soil  fertility  and  crop 
fields  throughout  the  state. 

(4)  Cooperation,  by  furnishing  teachers  and  lecturers  with  other 
educational  agencies  for  rural  communities,  e.   g.,  farmers'   institutes, 
special  lecture  railway  trains,  the  Boys'  State  Fair  School. 

(5)  Educational  exhibits  at  fairs  and  expositions. 

(6)  School  and  community  excursions  to  the  University. 


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322  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

For  the  Cooperative  Extension  Service  in  agriculture  and  home 
economics  conducted  by  the  University  of  Illinois  and  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  under  the  provisions  of  the  Federal  Smith- 
Lever  Act  of  May  8,  1914  (see  pp.  402-403). 

CERAMIC  ENGINEERING 

In  addition  to  the  regular  four-year  technical  curriculum,  the  depart- 
ment of  ceramic  engineering  cooperates  with  the  clay  and  allied  indus- 
tries by  offering  annually,  at  Urbana,  during  the  second  and  third  weeks 
in  January,  a  two  weeks'  industrial  course  in  the  principles  underlying 
the  manufacture  of  clay  products,  for  those  who  have  not  the  time  nor 
the  preparation  required  for  academic  studies.  The  work  includes  lec- 
tures, laboratory  work,  practice  in  firing  kilns,  and  informal  gatherings 
for  question  asking.  A  common  school  education  is  sufficient  to  enable 
one  to  do  the  work  of  this  course.  No  charge  of  any  kind  is  made. 

Eugene  Davenport,  M.  Agr.,  LL.  D.,  is  the  director  of  the  agricul- 
tural extension  service,  which  is  a  cooperative  arrangement  between  the 
University  of  Illinois  and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Walter  Frederick  Handschin,  B.  S.,  is  vice-director  of  the  service  and 
state  leader  of  the  county  advisers,  of  whom  there  are  twenty-two  rep- 
resenting DeKalb,  Kankakee,  Livingston,  McHenry,  Kane,  DuPage, 
Tazewell,  Will,  Peoria,  Champaign,  Winnebago,  Iroquois,  Bureau,  La- 
Salle,  Grundy,  Adams,  Hancock,  McLean,  Mason,  Woodford,  Mercer  and 
Lee.  The  county  adviser  for  the  Champaign  County  Bureau  is  Charles 
H.  Oathout,  B.  S. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Smith-Lever  Act,  approved  by  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States  on  May  8,  1914,  and  the  terms  of  its  accept- 
ance by  the  State  of  Illinois,  the  University  becomes  cooperatively 
responsible  for  a  system  of  demonstration  service  designed  to  combine 
the  results  of  scientific  discovery  with  the  most  approved  practice  on  the 
farms  and  in  the  households  of  the  state. 

A  further  cooperative  relation  has  been  established  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  whereby  the  University  undertakes  to  become  jointly 
responsible  for  certain  extension  work  which  the  department  is  conduct- 
ing out  of  its  own  funds.  This  cooperative  work  consists  of  the  fol- 
lowing : 

1()  Cooperation  with  county  farm  bureaus  in  the  employment  of 
agricultural  advisers. 

(2)  Cooperation  with  local  associations  in  home  economics  dem- 
onstrations. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  323 

(3)  Employment  of  extension  specialists  in  agriculture  and  home 
economics  as  special  advisers  in  the  field. 

(4)  Cooperation  with  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture in  its  extension  activities: 

a.  In  support  of  county  advisory  work. 

b.  In  farm  management  demonstration. 

c.  In  junior  extension. 

HOME  ECONOMICS 

Isabel  Bevier,  Ph.  M.,  is  the  vice-director  of  Home  Economics  Exten- 
sion and  Mamie  Bunch,  A.  B.,  state  leader  in  Home  Economics  Demon- 
stration, with  five  assistants. 

The  service  in  home  economics  may  be  classified  as  follows : 

1.  Correspondence. — Numerous  requests  come  from  individuals  and 
clubs  for  help  in  solving  some  problem  of  preparing  food,  planning  a 
house,  feeding  a  child,  or  in  preparing  topics  for  club  study. 

2.  Service  for   Organizations. — This   includes   demonstrations   and 
addresses  before  farmers'  institutes,  federated  or  local  clubs,  parents'  and 
teachers'  associations,  the  State  Fair  School,  or  other  groups  of  people. 

3.  The  School  for  Housekeepers. — This  is  held  annually,  at  Urbana, 
during  the  last  two  weeks  in  January.     It  offers  instruction  in  food, 
clothing  and  shelter,  and  provides  an  opportunity  for  the  discussion  of 
some  of  the  fundamental  problems  of  home  life  and  management.     No 
fees  are  charged  in  connection  with  this  school. 

4.  Movable  Schools. — The  department  of  household  science  will,  in 
so  far  as  possible,  provide  instruction  on  request  for  a  movable  school 
in   any   community   which   is   sufficiently   interested   to   pay   the   local 
expenses   (hire  of  hall,  etc.)   and  the  traveling  and  living  expenses  for 
the  week  of  one  or  two  instructors. 

5.  Demonstration  Car. — This  car  marks  a  new  departure  in  demon- 
stration work.    Hitherto,  demonstrations  in  Home  Economics  have  been 
confined  largely  to  the  cooking  of  food.     It  is  the  purpose  of  this  car 
to  extend  this  method  of  presentation  to  power  equipment  and  house 
furnishings;  to  show  the  machines,  the  kitchen  utensils,  and  the  color 
schemes,  not  just  to  talk  about  them. 

In  accordance  with  this  idea,  this  car  shows  how  power  commonly 
used  upon  the  farm  may  also  be  employed  in  performing  a  large  part 
of  the  heavy  labor  of  the  home,  thereby  contributing  to  the  health  and 
comfort  of  the  housekeeper;  how  to  secure  an  adequate  water  supply  for 
both  the  house  and  barn  with  the  necessary  provision  for  sewage  disposal ; 


324  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

and  finally  how,  by  attention  to  equipment  and  to  the  principles  of  form 
and  color,  the  essentials  of  comfortable  living  may  be  secured  for  the 
country  home  at  a  reasonable  cost. 

The  car  and  its  equipment  provide  sufficient  material  for  demonstra- 
tion work  for  a  week.  The  University  pays  the  salaries  of  the  demon- 
strators and  furnishes  the  exhibit.  The  local  committee  is  responsible 
for  the  following  details:  (a)  Proper  advertising  of  the  car;  (b)  arrang- 
ing with  local  railroad  as  to  the  location  of  the  car  on  a  spur  or  switch 
where  it  will  not  be  bumped  and  where  it  is  readily  accessible;  (c) 
securing  a  suitable  hall  for  lectures  and  demonstrations  that  cannot  be 
held  in  the  car;  (d)  providing  hard  coal  for  the  heater,  gasoline  for  the 
engines,  and  janitor  service ;  (e)  providing  board,  room,  and  comfortable 
living  conditions  for  the  demonstrators,  whose  hours  of  service  are  long 
and  duties  exacting;  (f)  mileage  of  the  car. 

UNIVERSITY  FINANCES 

The  -report  of  the  comptroller  of  the  University  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1916,  is  a  document  which  cannot  fail  to  impress  any  citizen 
of  Illinois  with  its  greatness  as  a  business  and  a  financial  institution, 
and  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  material  assets  of  the  state.  The  state- 
ments show  that  the  assets  of  the  University  have  reached  a  total  of 
$6,389,755.49,  covered  by  the  following  items:  Cash  on  hand  and  in 
bank,  $125,618.92;  notes,  accounts,  etc.,  receivable,  $177,578.42;  sup- 
plies, $166,878.48;  plant  and  property,  $6,045,298.59.  The  last  named 
include  land  and  land  improvements,  $1,083,649.49;  buildings,  furniture 
and  equipment,  $4,961,649.10. 

It  appears  that  the  income  of  the  University  was  derived  from  five 
sources :  United  States  grants,  state  appropriations,  student  fees,  depart- 
mental sales  and  interest  on  bank  balances. 

Eeceipts  from  the  United  States  grants  were  divided  as  follows :  Land 
Grant  act  of  1862,  $32,450.34;  Morrill  act,  $25,000 ;  Nelson  act,  $25,000; 
Hatch  act,  $15,000;  Adams  act,  $15,000;  Smith-Lever  act,  $36. 282.20. 

State  Approppriations :  Land,  buildings  and  equipment,  $436,500; 
administrative  offices,  $76,145;  general  departments,  $111,550;  instruc- 
tion, $1,243,055;  physical  plant,  $218,250;  research,  $97,000;  contingent 
expense,  $243,370;  water  survey  and  investigation,  $28,500. 

Student  Fees:  Urbana  departments,  $174,264.37;  Chicago  depart- 
ments, $72,659.97. 

Departmental  Sales:  Agricultural  College  and  Experiment  Station, 
$146,524.30;  Engineering  College  and  Experiment  Station,  $1,041.58; 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  335 

College  of  Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences,  $1,255.74;  College  of  Medicine, 
$3,189.65;  College  of  Dentistry,  $10,041.48;  School  of  Pharmacy, 
$76.18;  physical  plant,  $5,961.22;  miscellaneous  (including  receipts 
from  the  Smith  farms,  from  symphony  concerts,  accountancy  examina- 
tions, the  University  Directory  and  the  summer  session),  $16,914.59. 

The  income  from  interest  on  bank  balances  amounted  to  $17,844.16. 

It  will  be  seen  that  as  an  income  producer  the  Agricultural  College 
and  Experiment  Station  overtops  the  other  departments  of  the  Univer- 
sity. Of  these  receipts,  animal  husbandry  produced  $26,089.97  and  dairy 
husbandry,  $65,293.98.  The  sales  from  the  creamery  amounted  to 
$56,301.77,  and  from  the  pure  bred  herd  $7,159.32. 

The  expenditures  for  the  year  on  account  of  instruction  and  research 
reached  a  total  of  $1,870,508.94,  divided  as  follows:  Agricultural  Col- 
lege and  Experiment  Station,  $677,924.90 ;  College  of  Liberal  Arts  and 
Sciences,  $483,157.33;  Engineering  College  and  Experiment  Station, 
$317,522.73;  Colleges  of  Medicine  and  Dentistry  and  School  of  Phar- 
macy (Chicago),  $213,301.05;  Graduate  School,  $49,502.34;  College  of 
Commerce,  $44,641.10;  College  of  Law,  $30,649.44;  summer  session, 
1915,  $23,768.63 ;  School  of  Music,  $19,215.13 ;  School  of  Library  Sci- 
ence, $10,006.48;  summer  session,  1916,  $819.81. 

The  total  expenditures  for  the  year  were :  Administration  and  general 
expense,  $154,525.72;  instruction  and  research,  $1,870,508.94;  general 
departments,  $178,772.53;  physical  plant,  $212,500.69;  land  and  build- 
ings, $517,048.96. 

The  largest  item  of  expenditure  on  account  of  the  College  of  Liberal 
Arts  and  Sciences  was  in  support  of  the  department  of  chemistry,  $105,- 
053.31;  in  the  Engineering  College  and  Experiment  Station,  for  mechan- 
ical engineering,  $63,660.54;  in  the  Agricultural  College  and  Experi- 
ment Station,  for  agronomy  $176,839.80,  animal  husbandry  $140,195.01; 
and  dairy  husbandry  $132,825.11,  of  which  $49,959.40  was  applied  to 
the  creamery. 

Of  the  $517,048.96  expended  on  land,  buildings  and  general  equip- 
ment, the  chief  item  for  new  buildings  and  improvements  was  thus 
divided:  Chemistry  building,  $202,048.58;  ceramics  building,  $116,- 
192.05;  vivarium,  $51,744.65;  administration  building,  $20,482.30; 
pharmacy  buildings,  $18,359.35. 

TOTAL  VALUATION  OF  UNIVERSITY  PROPERTY 

The  inventory  of  land  owned  by  the  University  indicated  a  valuation 
of  $833,050.05  reported  June  30,  1915,  with  additions  of  $78,116.88  dur- 
ing the  following  year,  making  a  total  of  $911,166.93.  The  improve- 


326  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ments  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1916  (including  tunnel  and  con- 
duits,  $94,681.69,   and   military   drill   field,   $12,733.65)    amounted   to 
$172,482.56.    Total  value  of  land  and  improvements,  $1,083,649.49. 
The  buildings  of  the  University  are  valued  as  follows : 
STRUCTURAL  GROUPS 

Building 
Liberal  Arts  and  Sciences  Group —  Value 

Astronomical  Observatories $  11,600.00 

Botany  Laboratory  and  Greenhouse 22,150.00 

Chemistry  Building   77,800.00 

Entomology  Building   6,950.00 

Lincoln  Hall 220,375.00 

Natural  History  Building 180,400.00 

University  Hall 23,500.00 


Totals $542,775.00 

Engineering  Group — 

Ceramics    Laboratory $  13,125.00 

Electrical  Engineering  Laboratory  20,575.00 

Engineering  Hall 92,000.00 

Laboratory  of  Applied  Mechanics 23,525.00 

Locomotive  Laboratory  and  Reservoir 32,900.00 

Mechanical  Engineering  Laboratory   32,050.00 

Metal  Shops   11,950.00 

Mining  and  Ceramics  Laboratory 19,300.00 

Physics  Laboratory 187,475.00 

Transportation  Building 78,900.00 

Wood  Shops  30,675.00 


Totals    $542;475.00 

Agricultural  Group — 

Agricultural  Building   $123,300.00 

Agronomy  Building   14,000.00 

Agronomy  Greenhouse    6,450.00 

Farm  Mechanics  Building 26,150.00 

Floriculture  Service  Buildings  and  Greenhouses 83,680.00 

Genetics  Building   10,231.30 

Horticulture  Building    8,740.00 

Horticulture  Service  Building    2,820.00 

Stock  Judging  Pavilion 108,150.00 

Horse  Barn   .  1,320.00 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  327 

Dairy  Barn   $  3,800.00 

Beef  Cattle  Barn 21,950.00 

Dairy  Farm  House •. .  2,350.00 

20-Acre  Dairy  Barn    2,600.00 

Dairy  Horse  Bam   1,800.00 

Dairy  House  and  Shop 2,050.00 

Dairy  Experiment  Barn    10,340.00 

Sheep  Barn   2,740.00 

Brood  Mare  Barn 2,990.00 

Tool  Shed  1,615.00 

Work  Horse  Barn 1,320.00 

Swine  Sheds  1,290.00 

Soil  Bins   7,884.42 


Totals    $447,570.72 

Law  Building   23,425.00 

Commerce  Building 95,425.00 

General  University  Use — 

Armory   $224,535.00 

Auditorium    111,000.00 

Library    131,400.00 

Men's  Gymnasium    53,270.00 

Men's  Gymnasium  Annex    10,140.00 

Woman's  Building   190,000.00 


Totals    $720,345.00 

Administration  Building 145,702.13 

President's  House   5,915.00 

Service  Buildings — 

Greenhouse   $     5,100.00 

New  Power  Plant   42,315.00 

Old  Power  Plant  12,935.00 

Pumping  Station   6,490.00 

Storehouse   1,950.00 


Total    $  68,790.00 

Tenant  Houses   .  6,450.00 


Grand  Total $2,598,872.85 

To  this  total  valuation  of  the  buildings  must  be  added  the  value  of 
the  land  and  land  improvements,  $1,083,649.49;  the  general  furniture, 


328  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

$52,158.12;  the  departmental  equipment  (less  library),  $1,198,947.71; 
the  library  itself,  $594,432.79,  and  the  inventory  of  "construction  in 
progress"  to  make  up  the  total  of  $6,045,298.59,  which  represents  the 
value  of  the  total  University  plant  in  buildings,  with  their  contents  and 
real  estate  with  all  improvements.  Buildings  are  now  completed.  Wom- 
an's residence  hall  nearly  completed  (ready  September  1,  1917).  Smith 
music  building  in  process  of  erection. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  EAILROADS 

PEESENT  STEAM  AND  ELECTRIC  LINES — ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  AND  THE 
FIRST  GREAT  WESTERN — EARLY  ISOLATION  OF  CENTRAL  COUNTIES — - 
VITAL  QUESTION,  GREAT  CENTRAL  HIGHWAY — ILLINOIS  CENTRAL 
INCORPORATED  (1836) — STATE  SYSTEM  OF  INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS 
—NARROW  STATE  POLICY— THE  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY  (HoL- 
BROOK)  COMPANY — GREAT  WESTERN  REINCORPORATED  (1849) — 
WAYS  OF  UTILIZING  LAND  GRANT — ROBERT  RANTOUL,  CREATOR  OF 
THE  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL — RELATIONS  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  WITH 
THE  STATE — ACTUAL  SURVEY  AND  CONSTRUCTION — WEST  URBANA 
(CHAMPAIGN)  FOUNDED — JUST  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD  CAME — RAIL- 
ROAD LANDS  DRAW  SETTLERS — CONGRESS  ATTEMPTS  TO  REGULATE 
LAND  PRICES — INCREASE  OF  POPULATION  IN  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY — 
THE  WABASH  RAILROAD — THE  BIG  FOUR — CHICAGO  &  EASTERN 
ILLINOIS — ILLINOIS  TRACTION  SYSTEM — URBANA  AND  CHAMPAIGN 
RAILWAY,  GAS  &  ELECTRIC  COMPANY — WILLIAM  B.  MCKINLEY. 

The  railroads  of  Champaign  County,  both  steam  and  electric,  have 
completed  its  mediums  of  development,  originating  in  its  great  wealth 
of  the  soil  and  its  remarkable  intellectual  spirit  which  received  such  an 
early  and  permanent  impetus.  Both  of  these  agencies  were  the  means 
of  drawing  to  the  county  thousands  of  its  best  men  and  women,  and 
when  transportation  facilities  were  assured  to  bring  them  closely  to  the 
markets  and  the  people  of  the  neighboring  counties  and  states,  they 
remained  to  enjoy  their  homes  and  societies,  and  assist  in  the  further 
development  of  the  localities  in  which  they  had  settled. 

PRESENT  STEAM  AND  ELECTRIC  LINES 

In  the  '50s  came  the  Illinois  Central  to  give  them  outlets  and  inlets, 
north  and  south,  east  and  west,  and  the  second  Great  Western  (Wabash) 
to  accommodate  its  more  southern  townships;  in  1872  the  main  line  of 
the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad  was  completed  as  the  Chicago, 
Danville  &  Vincennes  Railroad,  and  its  branches  in  the  county  now 

329 


330  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

supply  railway  accommodations  to  several  eastern  and  southeastern  town- 
ships; in  1889  the  Big  Four  (Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railway)  entered  the  lists  as  an  institution  of  Illinois  and  Champaign 
County,  and  binds  together  the  central  sections  with  several  of  its  largest 
centers  of  population. 

The  traction  system,  which  has  been  increasing  in  mileage  and  effi- 
ciency since  1890,  consists  of  an  east  and  west  trunk  paralleling  the 
Big  Four  east  of  Urbana  and  the  Illinois  Central  west  of  Champaign. 
The  Illinois  Traction  Company  already  furnishes  an  excellent  interur- 
ban  service  between  Champaign  and  Urbana,  connecting  the  twin  cities 
with  Danville  and  intervening  points  to  the  east.  The  system  also 
extends  west  to  Decatur,  there  connecting  with  the  lines  to  Springfield 
and  St.  Louis  and  to  Bloomington  and  Peoria.  It  is  thus  intimately 
linked  with  the  traction  systems  of  Illinois  and  Indiana,  which  are 
among  the  most  prosperous  of  any  in  the  country. 

ILLINOIS  CENTBAL  AND  FIRST  GREAT  WESTERN 

But  before  these  transportation  achievements  were  realized,  there 
ensued  a  long  period  of  abortive  and  discouraging  efforts.  The  inter- 
esting and  instructive  record  commences  with  the  various  projects  con- 
nected with  the  internal  improvement  schemes  of  Illinois  and  the  grad- 
ual shaping  of  the  Illinois  Central.  As  far  as  this  history  is  concerned, 
the  feature  of  this  period  which  requires  special  notice  is  the  fierce  con- 
test for  the  favor  of  the  state  solons  between  the  advocates  of  the  orig- 
inal Great  Western  and  the  Illinois  Central.  This  special  phase  of  the 
subject,  as  well  as  the  general  conditions  which  prevailed  in  the  central 
counties  of  Illinois  when  the  pioneer  railroads  were  broached  by  their 
authors,  is  so  well  etched  by  Dr.  Howard  G.  Bronson  in  one  of  the 
publications  of  the  Illinois  Historical  Society,  that  it  is  quoted  entire, 
with  the  retention  only  of  such  footnotes  as  add  salient  facts  to  the 
body  of  the  text. 

EARLY  ISOLATION  OF  CENTRAL  COUNTIES 

From  the  time  of  La  Salle  and  the  early  French  traders  down  to  the 
present  the  history  of  Illinois,  in  both  its  political  and  social  aspects, 
has  been  closely  connected  with  the  economical  development  of  the  state. 
The  peculiar  geographic  location  of  the  commonwealth,  the  growth  of 
certain  industries,  the  extension  of  commerce  and  trade  and,  above  all, 
the  creation  of  adequate  means  of  inland  transportation,  have  left  a  deep 
impress  on  the  thought  of  the  people,  their  social  customs,  and  even 
their  attitude  towards  political  movements.  Likewise,  these  conditions 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  331 

of  thought,  custom  and  politics  have  affected  the  growth  of  the  com- 
munity. 

In  this  interplay  of  economic,  social  and  political  influences  the 
question  of  internal  transportation  has  held  first  place  among  the  many 
problems  confronting  the  people  in  the 'long  period  from  1830  to  the 
close  of  the  Granger  agitation.  A  glance  at  the  map  shows  that  while 
Illinois  is  practically  encircled  by  natural  waterways,  the  interior  of 
the  state,  which  is  by  far  the  most  fertile  portion,  is  without  means  of 
transportation,  except  that  provided  by  man.  Before  the  introduction 
of  the  railroad,  the  central  counties  such  as  Coles,  McLean,  Macon  and 
Champaign,  were  practically  isolated  from  the  remainder  of  the  country 
and  were  entirely  dependent  upon  the  local  highways  for  any  communi- 
cation with  the  outside  world. 

The  condition  of  these  early  country  roads  was  wretched  to  an  extent 
almost  beyond  description.  There  were  a  few  old  corduroy  roads  and 
three  or  four  government  turnpikes,  but  they  were  short  and  ill  kept. 
Elsewhere,  former  Indian  trails  or  newly  made  section  roads  were  the 
only  semblances  of  highways  that  existed.  In  summer  these  roads  were 
little  better  than  the  surrounding  prairies,  often  worse;  in  winter  they 
were  mud-holes.  Fortunate  indeod  was  the  traveler  who  was  not  com- 
pelled to  help  pry  the  coach  out  of  the  deep  mud  or  wait  until  morning 
for  a  yoke  of  oxen  to  pull  him  out  of  some  worse  than  ordinary  slough. 
Mails  were  often  delayed  and,  during  the  winter  storms  and  spring  rains, 
not  only  farmhouses  but  even  large  towns  were  entirely  isolated.  More- 
over, the  state  had  shown  itself  utterly  unable  to  remedy  these  evils. 
The  statute  books  were  covered  with  enactments  declaring  certain  trails 
or  mud  roads  public  turnpikes,  but  even  a  sovereign  state  cannot  legis- 
late a  mud-hole  into  a  turnpike.  Charters,  almost  without  number,  were 
granted  private  corporations,  but  without  tangible  results  of  any  impor- 
tance. Local  enterprise  was  equally  fruitless,  and  the  efforts  of  the  coun- 
ties to  improve  the  public  roads  had  generally  failed. 

This  absence  of  good  highway  facilities  greatly  retarded  the  economic 
development  of  the  state,  and  especially  the  central  portion.  The  cost 
of  carrying  freight  over  ordinary  country  roads,  or  even  -on  well-built 
highways  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  is  very  great.1  On 
such  roads  as  existed  in  Illinois  prior  to  the  Civil  War  the  expense  of 
moving  heavy  freight  for  any  distance  was  practically  prohibitive,  and 
ten  to  twenty  miles  was  as  far  as  grain  or  other  bulky  goods  could  be 
hauled  with  any  degree  of  profit.  As  nearly  all  the  products  of  the 
interior  counties  consisted  of  articles  of  small  value  compared  with  their 
bulk,  this  meant  that  an  extensive  network  of  railroads  or  canals  was 
necessary  to  the  proper  development  of  the  state.  Instead  of  such  a 
system  of  internal  transportation,  Illinois  had  nothing  but  execrable 
country  roads,  supplemented  to  only  a  slight  extent  by  the  few  navigable 
or  semi-navigable  streams.  The  farmer  living  in  the  interior  of  the 


i  The  cost  of  carrying  a  ton  of  freight  from  Buffalo  to  New  York  by  wagon 
was  $100,  or  about  20  cents  per  ton  per  mile.  This  was  over  goorl  roads,  and 
the  cost  per  ton,  per  mile,  for  carrying  grain  in  Illinois  must  have  averaged 
considerably  more. 


332  HISTOBY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

state  could  carry  only  a  small  part  of  his  crop  of  wheat  or  corn  to  market 
to  be  exchanged  for  "store  goods,"  and  the  total  amount  of  grain  received 
at  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  Peoria  from  the  interior  counties  of  Illinois 
was  insignificant. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  population  in  the  forties  and  fifties  was 
engaged  in  agriculture  and  the  inadequate  system  of  transportation  had 
a  depressing  influence  on  that  occupation.  Farmers  living  near  the 
waterways  found  good  markets  for  their  produce,  but  those  not  so  favor- 
ably situated  shipped  little  grain  or  wheat  outside  the  state.  Only 
slight  cultivation  was  necessary  to  have  the  rich  prairie  soil  bring  forth 
abundant  crops,  and  the  immediate  needs  of  the  farmer  and  his  family 
were  easily  supplied.  Labor-saving  machinery  was  not  in  general  use 
and  the  work  of  gathering  the  crops  had  to  be  performed  by  hand,  with 
farm  labor  scarce  and  commanding  high  wages.  As  a  result,  there  was 
no  incentive  to  raise  large  crops,  while  the  amount  of  physical  work 
involved  made  it  impossible  for  the  farmer  to  plant  or  gather  more  than 
a  moderate  yield.  Shiftless  methods  of  farming  were  the  natural  con- 
sequence, and  only  a  small  portion  of  the  arable  land  was  under  cultiva- 
tion. Out  of  a  total  area  of  35,000,000  acres,  slightly  over  3,000,000 
were  planted  in  the  five  staples:  wheat,  corn,  oats,  rye  and  potatoes. 
One-third  of  the  entire  area,  or  11,500,000  acres,  was  still  unoccupied 
government  land,  and  much  of  the  remainder  had  never  been  broken 
by  the  plough.  At  the  same  time,  the  yield  per  acre  was  much  less 
than  could  have  been  expected  from  the  almost  virgin  soil  of  the  prairies. 

Inadequate  transportation  and  backward  agricultural  conditions 
greatly  retarded  the  settlement  of  the  commonwealth  and  influenced  the 
social  and  political  life  of  those  within  its  borders.  The  earliest  settle- 
ments were  made  by  the  French  at  Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia  near  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  until  the  end  of  the  third  decade  nearly  all  sub- 
sequent settlements  were  also  near  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  the  Missis- 
sippi and  Illinois  rivers,  especially  in  the  southern  counties.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  fourth  decade  the  majority  of  the  population  were 
immigrants  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  other  parts  of  the  south,  or 
their  descendants.  Then,  from  1830  to  1850,  there  occurred  a  heavy 
immigration  into  the  northern  and  central  counties;  most  of  the  new 
settlers  coming  from  the  eastern  states,  or  Europe.  By  1850  Illinois 
had  a  population  of  850,000,  and  three-fourths  of  the  inhabitants  were 
living  north  of  Vandalia  and  were  of  northern  or  European  stock.1 
Furthermore,  despite  the  absence  of  good  transportation,  375,000  people 
were  in  the  thirty-six  counties  which  possessed  neither  a  canal,  a  river, 
nor  a  railroad;  and  the  number  living  more  than  ten  miles  from  such 
means  of  communication  must  have  been  considerably  larger.2 


i  The  30  counties  south  of  Vandalia  had  a  population  of  219,863;  the  69 
north  of  that  town,  631,607.  The  foreign  born  population  was  as  follows: 
England,  18,628;  Scotland,  4,661;  Wales,  572;  Ireland,  27,786;  British  America, 
10,699;  Germany,  38,446;  total  (including  minor  nationalities),  110,593.  Native 
born  of  foreign  parents  not  given. 

-  The  36  counties,  without  railroads,  canals  or  navigable  rivers,  had  a  popula- 
tion of  375,529  in  1850,  or  44.1  per  cent  of  the  total. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  333 

In  the  very  earliest  white  settlements  in  Illinois  the  lack  of  good 
highways  and  the  economic  isolation  of  the  interior  proved  a  serious 
check  to  the  growth  of  the  community,  but  as  the  population  was  small 
and  distributed  along  the  few  navigable  rivers,  slight  attention  was 
given  to  the  matter  of  transportation.  Nor  did  the  heavy  immigration 
from  the  southern  states  make  necessary  a  radical  improvement. 

The  settlers  had  always  been  accustomed  to  poor  roads;  they  were 
settled  near  the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi  and  the  Illinois;  and  the  number 
of  people  of  the  state  was  still  small.  However,  the  enormous  growth 
of  population  from  1830  on — the  increase  was  from  150,000  in  the  for- 
mer year  to  800,000  in  1850 — made  necessary  the  solution  of  problems 
which  before  had  been  borne  as  an  unavoidable  accompaniment  of  fron- 
tier life. 

This  was  particularly  true  of  the  central  counties.  In  1830  a  few 
thousand  log  huts  scattered  over  the  heart  of  the  state  were  the  only 
signs  of  civilization.  But  every  succeeding  year  witnessed  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  homestead  entries,  the  thickening  of  settlements  and 
the  rapid  extension  of  cultivated  land.  The  settlers  were  no  longer 
shiftless,  easy-going  trappers  or  their  hardly  less  shiftless  companions 
on  the  clearings;  in  their  place  were  energetic  and  progressive  new- 
comers from  New  York,  New  England,  and  even  Ireland,  Germany  and 
old  England.  As  population  and  wealth  grew  and  the  disadvantages  of 
the  isolated  economic  conditions  became  more  burdensome,  greater  and 
greater  attention  was  given  to  the  question  of  local  and  through  trans- 
portation which  could  do  away  with  the  unbearable  frontier  life.  The 
demands  of  the  interior  counties  for  a  closer  economic  connection  with 
the  remainder  of  the  state  found  a  natural  expression  in  the  political 
field,  and  for  some  fifteen  years,  from  1835  to  1851,  the  solution  of 
this  problem  was  the  subject  of  political  debate,  legislative  action  and 
popular  vote.  The  center  of  the  field  was  occupied  by  plans  for  some 
form  of  a  central  railroad,  and  it  is  the  political  aspects  of  this  project 
that  forms  the  theme  of  the  remainder  of  this  paper. 

VITAL  QUESTION,  GREAT  CENTRAL  HIGHWAY 

A  great  central  highway  connecting  the  northern  and  southern  coun- 
ties of  Illinois  had  always  been  a  favorite  project  with  the  legislatures 
and  executives  of  the  state.  As  early  as  1830,  Governor  Coles  suggested 
that  Lake  Michigan  might  easily  be  tapped  and  the  water  taken  by 
canals,  not  only  into  Illinois,  but  on  the  dividing  line  between  that 
river  and  the  Wabash  down  through  the  center  of  the  state.  Only  two 
years  later,  Lieutenant-Governor  A.  M.  Jenkins  proposed  in  the  Senate 
that  a  survey  be  made  for  a  central  railroad  from  Cairo  to  Peru,  and 
though  somewhat  premature,  the  proposal  created  considerable  discus- 
sion, both  in  and  out  of  the  Legislature.  By  1835,  the  building  of 
the  "Central"  had  become  one  of  the  important  issues  in  state  politics. 
The  project  was  ably  advocated  by  such  newspapers  as  the  Sangamon 
Journal,  and  also  a  number  of  leading  citizens,  prominent  among  them 
being  Sidney  Breese,  whose  fifteen  years  of  service  in  promoting  the 


334  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

undertaking  entitles  him  to  be  called  the  "Father  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad." 

ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  INCORPORATED  (1836) 

With  such  support  it  was  not  long  before  definite  measures  were 
undertaken,  and  on  January  18,  1836,  the  Illinois  Legislature  incor- 
porated the  (Illinois)  Central  Railroad  Company  to  construct  a  rail- 
road from  "the  mouth  of  the  Ohio"  to  a  point  on  the  Illinois  River  at 
or  near  the  termination  of  the  Illinois-Michigan  canal.  Darius  B. 
Holbrook,  a  New  York  speculator  and  promoter  who  had  lately  come 
to  the  west,  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the  company  and  with  him  were 
associated  Governor  Reynolds,  Lieutenant-Governors  A.  M.  Jenkins  and 
Pierre  Menard,  Judge  Sidney  Breese  and  Alfred  K.  Snyder;  besides 
fifty-three  others  of  less  note.  These  gentlemen  constituted  the  first 
board  of  directors,  and  a  capital  of  $2,500,000  was  authorized.  From 
the  first  this  road  was  regarded  as  a  peculiar  state  institution  and,  lest 
its  policy  should  be  dominated  by  a  foreign  monopoly,  provision  was 
made  that  no  person  could  subscribe  to  more  than  five  shares  of  stock, 
and  that  at  least  one-fifth  of  the  capital  should  be  offered  for  sale  in 
the  state.  Provision  was  also  made  that  whenever  the  company  earned 
more  than  twelve  per  cent  on  the  cost  of  construction  for  a  period  of 
ten  years,  the  Legislature  could  so  reduce  earnings  and  tolls  for  the 
next  ten  years  that  the  earnings  would  not  exceed  that  amount;  reports 
being  made  to  the  state  to  show  cost  of  construction  and  gross  and  net 
receipts.  In  return  for  this  restriction  on  the  powers  of  the  company 
the  Legislature  inserted  a  clause  in  the  charter  agreeing  not  to  incor- 
porate any  competitive  railroad  for  a  period  of  fifty  years. 

While  not  a  direct  issue  in  state  politics,  the  incorporation  of  the 
Central  Company  shows  the  strong  hold  the  project  had  upon  the  minds 
of  the  people.  The  incorporators  were  leading  politicians  and  men  of 
affairs  of  the  community  and  the  company  itself  enjoyed  many  privileges 
not  usually  granted  to  a  "foreign"  company.  At  the  same  time,  like 
most  western  corporations,  it  was  without  financial  backing,  and  its 
incorporation  is  only  an  evidence  of  popular  interest. 

STATE  SYSTEM  OF  INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS 

Hardly  was  the  company  organized  when  it  was  swept  aside  by  a 
movement  of  far  greater  general  interest.  So  long  as  canals  were  the 
only  artificial  means  of  cheap  land  transportation,  their  prohibitive  cost 
prevented  the  people  of  the  western  states  from  making  any  attempt  to 
create  a  general  system  of  internal  improvements.  The  introduction  of 
the  locomotive  into  England  and  soon  after  into  the  eastern  states  pro- 
vided a  cheap  yet  efficient  means  of  inland  communication.  As  if  an 
accompaniment  of  this  invention,  there  took  place  in  the  United  States 
a  period  of  unprecedented  financial  prosperity,  while  the  speculative 
spirit  among  the  state  legislatures  was  fostered  by  the  Treasury  Dis- 
tribution act  of  1837,  and  other  fiscal  measures  of  the  national  govern- 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  335 

ment.     Thus  the  financial  and  technical  difficulties  in  the  way  of  an 
extensive  system  of  internal  improvements  were  apparently  removed. 

Like  one  of  her  own  prairie  fires,  the  demand  for  state  construction 
of  an  extensive  system  of  internal  improvements  spread  over  the  State 
of  Illinois.  Mass  meetings,  conventions,  parades,  etc.,  were  held  in  all 
parts  of  the  state;  the  newspapers  took  up  the  movement  and  their  col- 
umns were  filled  with  editorials  and  contributed  articles;  finally,  the 
politicians  seized  it  as  a  means  of  personal  and  party  popularity,  and 
the  Legislature  passed  the  celebrated  Internal  Improvement  Act  of  1837. 
The  political  "deals,"  log  rollings  and  tricks  adopted  to  secure  the  pas- 
sage of  the  measure,  even  by  such  men  as  Douglas,  Logan  and  Lincoln, 
are  familiar  to  every  reader  and  need  not  be  repeated.  It  is  interesting 
to  note,  however,  that  it  was  the  influence  of  the  central  portions  of  the 
state,  i.  e.,  the  portions  most  in  need  of  railroads,  which  finally  secured 
the  passage  of  the  measure. 

The  system  of  the  internal  improvements  provided  for  by  the  act 
extended  to  all  parts  of  the  state,  and  was  a  worthy  conception  of  the 
strongest  General  Assembly  ever  held  in  Illinois.  The  backbone  of  the 
system  was  a  central  railroad  from  Cairo  northward  via  Vandalia, 
Shelbyville,  Decatur,  Bloomington  and  Savannah  to  Galena,  at  the  time 
the  most  important  city  in  the  state.  In  addition,  there  were  several 
cross  lines  extending  from  the  main  stem  to  the  important  cities  on  the 
eastern  or  western  boundaries.  The  entire  system  amounted  to  about 
1,200  miles,  but  the  estimates  as  to  cost  of  construction  were  surpris- 
ingly low.  Three  and  a  half  million  dollars  was  regarded  as  sufficient  to 
build  the  450  miles  of  the  main  line,  while  the  Shelbyville  and  Alton 
branches  were  to  cost  $650,000  and  $600,000,  respectively,  or  from 
$7,000  to  $10,000  per  mile;  less  than  one-fourth  what  it  cost  the  pres- 
ent company  fifteen  years  later.  A  loan,  based  on  the  credit  of  the 
state,  was  to  provide  the  funds,  while  a  board  of  seven  commissioners 
was  appointed  to  manage  the  enterprise  during  the  construction  and 
after  completion. 

NARROW  STATE  POLICY 

From  the  political  viewpoint  the  internal  improvement  plan  is  inter- 
esting as  the  first  and  fullest  expression  of  the  celebrated  Illinois  "state 
policy."  With  a  narrow  state  loyalty,  almost  inconceivable  now,  the 
central  and  northern  parts  of  the  state  insisted  that  every  railroad  pass- 
ing through  the  territory  of  Illinois  should  terminate  at  an  Illinois 
city.  In  other  words,  outside  or  "foreign"  centers  should  not  be  built 
up  at  the  expense  of  local  towns  with  a  deep-seated  ambition  to  be  the 
London  or  New  York  of  the  west.  The  internal  improvement  system 
was  the  ideal  of  these  narrow  sectionalists ;  and  Galena,  Quincy,  Alton, 
Cairo  and  Carroll  were  made  the  termini  of  the  railroads,  and  were 
established  as  the  commercial  centers  of  the  state,  in  so  far  as  the  Leg- 
islature could  do  so  by  enactment. 

Despite  the  enthusiasm  of  the  populace;  despite  the  reckless  gener- 
osity of  the  Legislature — with  other  people's  money;  despite  the  strict 
adherence  to  the  Illinois  state  policy,  the  project  was  doomed  to  failure. 


336  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Immediately  after  the  passage  of  the  act,  the  commissioners  commenced 
work,  and  for  a  while  it  seemed  as  if  this  colossal  undertaking  might 
be  finished.  Grading  was  commenced  at  Cairo,  Galena  and  intermediate 
points;  tens  of  thousands  of  dollars  was  expended  on  the  dikes  and 
levees  at  Cairo;  large  quantities  of  rail  were  purchased;  about  forty 
miles  of  embankment  north  of  Cairo  completed;  and,  altogether,  some- 
thing like  $1,000,000  was  expended  on  the  central  route  and  branches, 
although  certainly  not  in  the  most  effectual  manner.  But  the  task  was' 
entirely  beyond  the  ability  of  the  state;  financial  difficulties  prevented 
the  floating  of  the  necessary  bonds,  while  extravagance,  graft  and  mis- 
management exhausted  the  money  already  procured,  and  100  miles  of 
grading  and  a  few  thousand  tons  of  iron  were  the  only  tangible  results 
of  this  second  attempt  to  construct  a  railroad  through  the  center  of 
Illinois. 

THE  GREAT  WESTERN  EAILWAY  (HOLBROOK)  COMPANY 

Even  this  failure  did  not  deter  the  state  or  its  citizens  from  endeav- 
oring to  complete  the  project,  and  on  March  6,  1843,  only  six  years 
after  the  passage  of  the  Internal  Improvement  Act,  the  Legislature 
incorporated  the  Great  Western  Eailway  Company,  better  known  as  the 
Holbrook  Company.  To  understand  this  act  it  is  necessary  to  go  back 
six  years,  to  March  4,  1837. 

On  that  date  the  Cairo  City  &  Canal  Company  was  incorporated 
with  power  to  hold  real  estate  in  Alexander  County,  especially  the  tract 
of  land  now  included  in  the  corporate  limits  of  Cairo,  and  to  carry  on 
general  industrial  enterprises.  Mr.  Darius  P.  Holbrook  of  Xew  York, 
the  promoter  of  the  company  of  1836,  was  elected  president,  and  for 
twenty  years  the  enterprise  was  dominated  by  his  masterful  personality 
until  the  two  became  synonymous.  During  the  prosperous  period  'just 
before  the  panic  the  company  borrowed  between  $2,000,000  and  $3,000- 
000,  largely  from  English  capitalists;  purchased  several  acres  of  land 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  Eiver;  established  industries  of  all  kinds;  laid 
out  an  extensive  city  at  what  is  now  Cairo;  protected  it  by  embank- 
ments and  levees ;  carried  on  a  general  mercantile  business,  and  enacted 
ordinances  for  the  government  of  the  citizens  of  Cairo.  However,  the 
resources  of  the  company  were  not  equal  to  the  demands  made  upon 
it  and  the  failure  of  the  internal  improvement  policy  in  1840,  follow- 
ing closely  after  the  severe  panic  of  1837,  forced  the  enterprise  into 
bankruptcy.  English  investors  refused  further  financial  support,  and 
the  stoppage  of  work  on  the  state  railroad  destroyed  the  undeveloped 
industries  of  Cairo.  The  directors  neglected  the  undertaking ;  the  prop- 
erty in  and  near  the  city  was  abandoned,  and  for  a  time  the  place  was 
occupied  only  by  squatters  and  disreputable  characters  from  the  river 
boats. 

The  extreme  depression  existing  in  Illinois  after  the  panic  of  1837 
and  the  failure  of  the  state  policy  prevented  Mr.  Holbrook  from  doing 
anything  with  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company  until  1843.  Eealiz- 
ing  the  possibilities  of  the  "Central"  Eailroad,  he  induced  the  Legis- 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  337 

lature  to  pass  the  Great  Western  Railway  Act  of  that  year.  According 
to  the  charter,  the  president  and  directors  of  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal 
Company  were  incorporated  as  the  Great  Western  Railway  Company, 
and  were  given  authority  to  construct  a  railway  from  Cairo  to  the  Illi- 
nois-Michigan Canal.  In  many  ways  this  act  was  quite  favorable  to 
the  state.  The  otherwise  worthless  grading  done  in  1837  and  1840  was 
to  be  purchased  at  a  fair  valuation;  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  net 
receipts  from  operation,  after  a  twelve  per  cent  dividend  had  been  paid 
on  the  stock,  were  to  go  to  the  state;  and  the  Legislature  could  alter 
the  charter  of  both  the  Great  Western  and  Cairo  City  and  Canal  com- 
panies after  all  the  indebtedness  of  the  former  was  paid.  But  for  half 
a  dozen  years  the  Cairo  Company  had  been  known  as  a  flagrant  example 
of  speculative  and  corrupt  corporate  management,  and  to  turn  over  to 
such  a  company  without  reasonable  compensation,  or  even  adequate  safe- 
guards as  to  the  completion  of  the  work,  the  most  important  industrial 
enterprise  within  the  state  was,  to  say  the  least,  a  short-sighted  policy. 
Moreover,  a  clause  was  inserted  in  the  closing  section  of  the  act  sur- 
rendering to  the  company  any  public  lands  which  might  come  into  the 
possession  of  the  State  of  Illinois  during  the  life  of  the  charter.  Not 
even  a  guarantee  was  demanded  that  such  lands  should  be  used  for  the 
construction  of  the  railroad.  This  legislation  shows  the  wretched  finan- 
cial condition  the  state  was  in  in  1843,  and  illustrates  the  lack  of  fore- 
sight characteristic  of  the  General  Assemblies  during  the  period. 

For  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  the  company  was  seriously  determined  to 
proceed  with  the  "Central"  Railroad.  Large  sums  were  borrowed  and 
expended  in  finishing  the  original  state  surveys  and  completing  the 
grading.  Numerous  buildings  were  erected  at  Cairo,  and  an  extensive 
system  of  levees  was  planned  and  partially  constructed.  But  conditions 
were  not  favorable,  and  the  company  could  not  obtain  capital  to  con- 
tinue the  work.  Several  millions  had  already  been  expended  by  the 
Cairo  company  without  dividend-paying  results ;  all  Illinois  credit,  both 
state  and  private,  was  under  suspicion  on  account  of  the  partial  repudia- 
tion of  the  state  debt,  and  eastern  and  European  capitalists  refused  to 
risk  further  investments  in  Illinois.  Lack  of  funds  stopped  all  con- 
struction within  a  few  months  after  the  charter  was  secured  and  the 
directors  finally  gave  up  in  despair.  On  March  3,  1845,  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  company,  the  charter  was  repealed  by  special  act  of  the 
Legislature;  all  work  done  by  the  company  reverted  to  the  state,  and 
the  third  and  most  promising  attempt  to  construct  the  "Central"  Rail- 
road ended  with  heavy  loss  to  the  promoters  and  no  profit  to  the  state. 

GREAT  WESTERN  REINCORPORATED  (1849) 

For  six  years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  Great  Western  no  fur- 
ther attempt  was  made  to  build  the  railroad,  and  the  energies  of  the 
supporters  of  the  project  were  spent  in  various  attempts  to  secure  aid 
from  the  national  government,  but  without  success.  However,  it  seemed 
reasonably  certain  that  the  difficulties  would  be  removed  and  a  definite 
grant  of  land  made  in  some  session  of  the  Thirtieth  or  Thirty-first  Con- 

1—22 


338  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

gress.  Any  measure  would  undoubtedly  be  of  considerable  value  to  the 
State  of  Illinois  or  to  private  parties  who  might  build  the  road,  and 
the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company  determined  to  make  use  of  the 
apparently  favorable  conditions.  Accordingly,  after  the  failure  of  the 
Land  Grant  Bill  in  the  first  session  of  the  Thirtieth  Congress  the  Cairo 
City  and  Canal  Company  petitioned  the  Legislature  for  a  renewal  of 
their  previous  rights,  which  had  been  lost  by  the  act  of  March  3,  1845. 
Although  the  Holbrook  companies  were  disliked  throughout  the  state, 
they  represented  the  wealthiest  aggregation  of  capital  in  Illinois,  and 
apparently  were  the  best  able  to  complete  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
In  recognition  of  this  fact  the  Legislature,  on  February  10,  1849,  rein- 
corporated  the  Great  Western  Railway  Company,  with  all  its  former 
privileges,  including  the  obnoxious  clause  surrendering  to  the  company 
whatever  lands  the  federal  government  should  grant  the  state.  More- 
over, this  was  done  without  any  restriction  of  importance  being  placed 
on  the  disposal  of  these  lands. 

Such  action  by  the  Illinois  Legislature  was  almost  fatal  to  any  fed- 
eral land  grant,  and  Senator  Douglas  at  once  attempted  to  have  the 
charter  repealed.  With  the  assistance  of  his  colleagues  at  Washington 
and  prominent  citizens  of  the  state,  he  was  able  to  induce  the  president 
and  the  directors  of  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company  to  execute  a 
release  of  the  Great  Western  charter.  However,  the  surrender  was  con- 
ditional upon  the  acceptance  of  the  release  by  the  Legislature  at  its  next 
session,  and  the  incorporation  of  another  company  to  carry  on  the 
project. 

At  the  following  session  of  Congress  the  Illinois  delegation  secured 
a  grant  of  land  to  the  State  of  Illinois  to  assist  in  the  construction  of 
the  railroad,  the  total  amount  of  land  thus  given  varying  from  2,500,000 
to  3,000,000  acres.  The  mere  passage  of  the  Federal  Land  Grant  Act 
was  the  least  difficult  of  the  many  problems  confronting  the  friends  of 
the  Illinois  Central.  For  some  years  the  questions  connected  with  this 
railroad  had  been  before  the  Legislature  and  the  citizens  of  the  state, 
and  now  that  success  was  probable,  all  the  previous  conflicts  were 
renewed  with  additional  strength.  The  most  troublesome  of  these  con- 
flicts involved  the  method  of  construction  and  the  route. 

WAYS  OF  UTILIZING  LAND  GRANT 

There  were  four  possible  ways  of  utilizing  the  land  grant,  each  of 
which  had  its  vigorous  adherents:  State  construction  of  the  railroad 
by  means  of  the  grant,  along  the  line  of  the  internal  improvement  plan 
of  1837 ;  surrender  of  the  grant  to  the  bondholders  and  construction 
by  them  on  terms  similar  to  those  made  by  the  holders  of  canal  bonds 
in  1840 ;  completion  by  the  Great  Western  Railway  Company  under  its 
charter  of  1849,  including  the  retention  of  all  state  lands;  creation  of 
an  entirely  new  private  .corporation  and  the  transfer  to  it  of  the  land 
grant  under  certain  restrictions  and  with  certain  payments  to  the  state. 

To  many  citizens  state  construction  was  still  a  feasible  project. 
From  1831  to  1843  the  various  plans  for  the  railroad  depended  on  gov- 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  339 

ernment  support,  and  despite  the  collapse  of  the  internal  improvement 
plan  of  1837,  there  was  considerable  talk  of  direct  construction  by  the 
Legislature.  The  cost  of  building  the  road  was  underestimated,  while 
the  value  of  the  land  was  overestimated.  It  was  thought  possible  to 
build  the  road  without  recourse  to  bond  issues,  and  the  profit  from 
operation  would  then  quickly  retire  the  old  state  debt.  But  the  panic 
of  1840  and  the  depressing  influence  of  the  debt  was  still  vivid  in  the 
minds  of  the  citizens  of  Illinois  and  they  generally  condemned  any  fur- 
ther work  by  the  state. 

Another  form  of  semi-legislative  management  was  contained  in  the 
so-called  "bondholders"  plan,  which  was  submitted  to  the  Legislature 
in  January,  1851.  For  instance,  Mr.  J.  S.  Wright  of  Chicago  pub- 
lished a  pamphlet  in  which  he  took  the  ground  that  the  grant,  being 
of  such  immense  value,  the  state  should  hold  the  lands  and  again 
attempt  the  construction  of  the  road. 

As  a  result  of  the  internal  improvement  legislation,  a  debt  of  some 
$15,000,000  had  been  accumulated  and  the  state  was  unable  to  meet 
the  full  interest  charges.  In  fact,  bankruptcy  or  repudiation  had  been 
barely  escaped  and  the  creditors  supposed  there  would  be  difficulty  in 
attracting  capital  for  the  construction  of  the  road.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, certain  eastern  bondholders  suggested  an  arrangement  some- 
what similar  to  the  one  under  which  the  Illinois-Michigan  Canal  was 
built.  A  company,  composed  largely  of  bondholders,  was  to  be  char- 
tered and  given  power  to  construct  the  railroad;  $4  of  stock  or  $3  of 
bonds  entitled,  "New  Internal  Improvement  Stock,"  was  to  be  given 
for  each  $1  of  cash  paid  in.  The  state  was  to  receive  stock  of  a  par 
value  equal  to  the  value  of  the  land  sold,  and  in  addition  pay  all  expenses 
of  survey,  etc.  The  stock  belonging  to  the  state  must  be  set  apart  to 
retire  the  state  debt.  The  stock  of  the  new  company,  in  addition,  could 
be  made  the  basis  for  state  banking.  On  the  whole,  the  terms  were 
about  as  onerous  as  could  be  imposed  on  a  bankrupt  state,  and  are  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  Illinois  Central  charter.  The  project  never 
received  serious  attention  from  either  the  newspapers  or  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

Construction  by  the  Great  Western  was  of  much  greater  importance. 
The  charter  of  1849  was  evidently  obtained  with  the  distinct  object  of 
securing  the  federal  land  grant  and  no  work  was  done  on  the  railroad 
until  it  was  almost  certain  Congress  would  pass  the  act.  Then  con- 
struction work  was  started  and  it  was  stated  that  large  quantities  of  rail 
were  purchased  in  England.  At  the  same  time  active  efforts  were 
made  to  defeat  any  bill  repealing  the  charter.  It  is  uncertain  whether 
this  company  intended  to  carry  on  the  work,  or,  as  Senator  Douglas 
alleged,  merely  sell  the  charter  in  Europe.  At  any  rate  the  opposition 
to  the  Great  Western,  especially  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  was 
bitter  and  deep  seated. 

The  last  plan  was  to  turn  the  grant  over  to  a  private  corporation, 
other  than  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company,  under  proper  restric- 
tions. The  memorial  of  the  Boston  capitalists  (they  later  built  the 
road)  was  the  first  direct  proposition  of  the  kind,  but  it  is  probable 


340  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

that  the  memorialists  had  suggested  to  the  leading  legislators  of  the 
state  a  plan  along  the  lines  of  their  memorial.  In  all  probability, 
other  capitalists  were  also  deeply  interested  in  the  railroad.  However, 
there  was  no  definite  project  of  the  kind  before  the  people  during 
November  and  December,  1850. 

Congress  passed  the  land  grant  act  in  September,  1850,  and  the 
Legislature  was  elected  the  following  November.  On  account  of  the 
release  of  the  Great  Western  charter  it  was  necessary  to  settle  the 
matter  at  the  first  session  of  the  General  Assembly  and  the  selection  of 
proper  representatives  and  senators  was  of  vital  importance.  As  soon 
as  it  became  evident  that  the  federal  Congress  would  act  favorably  on 
the  Illinois  Central  bill  the  advocates  of  state  construction  and  the 
friends  and  opponents  of  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company  com- 
menced an  active  campaign  to  secure  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the 
Legislature.  Other  state  issues  were  consigned  to  the  background  and 
the  question  of  the  land  grant  and  the  acceptance  of  the  Great  Western 
release  were  the  important  factors  in  the  election  of  members  to  the 
Fifteenth  General  Assembly.  The  newspapers  of  the  state  had  numer- 
ous editorials  and  contributed  articles  defending  or  opposing  the 
respective  plants,  or  else  emphasizing  the  importance  of  one  route  over 
another.  Mass  meetings  and  conventions  were  held  at  various  points 
along  the  line  of  the  proposed  railroad  and  the  excitement  often  was  at 
fever  heat.  By  November  the  controversy  had  become  bitter  and 
personal.  Individual  motives  were  impugned;  the  character  of  some 
of  the  leading  newspaper  editors,  of  Mr.  Holbrook,  Senator  Douglas, 
Judge  Breese  and  others,  was  maligned,  and  charges  of  bribery  and 
fraud  were  frequent.  By  the  time  the  Legislature  convened  in  Janu- 
ary the  whole  discussion  had  degenerated  into  a  typical  Illinois  political 
fight.  On  the  whole,  the  opponents  of  both  state  ownership  and  the 
Holbrook  company  had  much  the  better  of  the  argument.  Only  a 
few  newspapers,  such  as  the  Benton  Standard  and  the  Cairo  Times, 
and  a  few  politicians,  the  most  prominent  of  them  being  Sidney  Breese, 
openly  defended  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company,  or  its  subsidiary 
company,  the  Great  Western.  However,  the  latter  company  was  already 
in  possession  of  the  desired  charter  and,  conditionally,  of  the  land  grant. 
Thus,  inaction  on  the  part  of  the  Legislature  meant  success  for  the 
Holbrook  party  and  the  Cairo  City  and  Canal  Company  exerted  every 
effort  to  block  legislation  and  prevent  the  incorporation  of  a  rival 
company.  On  account  of  the  many  minor  fights  it  was  not  at  such  a 
disadvantage  as  indicated  by  newspaper  editorials. 

Many  of  the  plans  had  been  thoroughly  discussed  during  the  cam- 
paign and  when  the  Legislature  met  the  first  day  of  January,  1851,  its 
members  were  well  acquainted  with  the  main  points  at  issue.  In  the 
organization  of  the  house  the  Holbrook  faction  secured  a  temporary 
advantage  by  the  election  of  Judge  Breese  as  speaker  and  during  the 
first  two  weeks  of  the  session  they  were  strong  enough  to  prevent 
radical  action.  Bills  were  presented  in  both  houses  repealing  the 
charter  of  the  Great  Western  but  both  were  strongly  opposed.  The 
Senate  passed  a  bill  in  regard  to  the  Illinois  Central,  though  it  did  not 


HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  341 

accept  the  release;  the  House  passed  a  bill  accepting  the  release  and 
refused  to  adopt  the  Senate  measure.  A  large  majority  of  the  members 
of  each  body  favored  accepting  the  repeal  of  the  Great  Western  charter, 
but  so  far  in  the  session  the  Holbrook  proposition  was  the  only  reason- 
able measure  before  the  Legislature  and  many  preferred  to  retain  the 
Cairo  Company  rather  than  to  be  entirely  without  a  means  of  building 
the  road. 

ROBERT  RANTOUL,  CREATOR  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL 

At  this  stage  of  the  contest  affairs  were  entirely  altered  by  a  bus- 
iness-like memorial  presented  by  Mr.  Robert  Rantoul  of  Massachusetts, 
acting  in  the  interest  of  a  group  of  wealthy  New  York  and  Boston  cap- 
italists. In  brief  the  plan  of  the  memorialists  was  as  follows :  The 
Legislature  should  create  a  corporation  and  surrender  to  it  the  federal 
land  grant.  In  return  the  corporation  agreed  to  build  a  railroad 
"equal  in  all  respects  to  the  railroad  running  between  Boston  and 
Albany  with  such  improvements  thereon  as  experience  has  shown  to  be 
desirable  and  expedient,  to  complete  the  road  by  July,  1854,  and  to  pay 

to  the  state  per  cent  of  the  gross  receipts  in  return  for  the 

land."  The  memorialists  were  men  of  considerable  capital  and  had 
had  experience  with  railroad  promotion  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 
On  the  whole  they  made  a  more  favorable  offer  than  could  have  been 
expected. 

Coincident  with  the  transmission  of  this  memorial  Mr.  Gridley 
introduced  in  the  Senate  a  bill  "for  an  act  to  incorporate  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad."  On  February  oth  Mr.  J.  L.  D.  Morrison  offered  a 
substitute  for  the  original  bill  and  on  the  next  day  it  passed  by  a  vote 
of  23  to  3.  Four  days  later  it  passed  the  house  by  an  almost  unanimous 
vote  of  seventy-two  to  two,  and  was  immediately  signed  by  Governor 
French. 

The  passage  of  the  charter  through  both  houses  was  not  as  easy 
as  the  vote  indicates.  Shortly  after  the  receipt  of  the  memorial  the 
whole  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  and  the  members,  in  con- 
nection with  Mr.  Rantoul  and  Colonel  Bissell,  the  representatives  of 
the  promoters  spent  considerable  time  in  preparing  the  measure.  As 
the  duration  of  the  session  was  limited  to  forty  days  the  Holbrook 
interests  made  every  effort  to  delay  the  bill  and  during  the  last  week 
of  January  and  the  first  of  February  it  looked  as  if  their  efforts  would 
meet  with  success.  At  last,  as  noticed  above,  the  bill  was  passed  by 
both  houses  only  a  few  days  before  the  close  of  the  session.  The  main 
difficulty  came  in  the  selection  of  a  route  and  the  Legislature  was  finally 
forced  to  leave  the  exact  location  of  the  road  to  the  incorporators.  The 
other  point  of  conflict  was  the  percentage  to  be  paid  the  state.  This 
was  finally  fixed  at  seven  per  cent  of  the  gross  receipts,  but  at  the  same 
time,  the  company  was  freed  from  paying  any  state  or  local  taxes.1 

i  In  the  original  memorial  the  amount  paid  to  the  state  was  left  vacant.  It 
was  proposed  in  the  House  that  10  per  cent  be  given,  hut  the  company,  through 
the  efforts  of  Robert  Rantoul  and  Representative  Bissell,  managed  to  reduce  the 
percentage  to  7.  The  real  reasons  for  the  action  of  the  Legislature  in  this 
matter  are  not  known  and  in  his  campaign  for  election  as  governor  Colonel  Bissell 
was  accused  of  having  obtained  the  reduction  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  state. 


342  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

With  the  incorporation  and  construction  of  the  Illinois  Central 
ended  the  long  struggle  to  secure  railway  communication  for  the 
interior  of  the  state.  The  way  was  blazed  for  new  railroads  in  all 
sections  of  Illinois  and  their  completion  opened  up  to  settlement  the 
hitherto  unoccupied  counties.  The  economic  isolation  of  the  interior 
ceased  and  the  state  became  an  economic  whole. 

Politically,  the  effects  were  equally  far  reaching.  The  construction 
of  the  "Central"  and  the  chartering  of  other  companies  satisfied  the 
need  of  good  transportation  and  the  demands  of  the  interior  counties 
for  internal  improvements  carried  on  by  the  state  died  away  as  the 
need  became  less  and  less.  The  important,  and  at  times  dominating, 
issue  of  state  construction  of  canals  and  railroads,  which  entered  so 
deeply  into  the  political  life  of  the  commonwealth  from  1830  to  1850, 
ceased  to  be  of  popular  interest.  The  construction  of  the  railroads 
and  the  broadening  influence  of  improved  communication  also  elim- 
inated from  the  field  the  celebrated  question  of  "State  policy,"  for 
twenty-five  years  a  bone  for  contention  between  the  northern  and 
southern  counties.  In  brief,  the  chartering  of  the  Illinois  Central 
marks  the  close  of  the  political  agitation  for  state  internal  improve- 
ments. After  1851  these  matters  which  had  repeatedly  agitated  the 
community  disappeared  and  their  places  were  taken  by  other  questions. 

To  Dr.  Bronson's  paper  a  few  facts  should  be  added  in  elucidation 
of  the  charter  requirements  imposed  by  the  state  upon  the  Illinois 
Central  (and  which  have  been  faithfully  performed),  as  well  as  to  more 
closely  connect  the  great  corporation  with  the  localities  of  Champaign 
County,  the  interests  of  which  were  so  fostered  by  its  coming. 

After  a  thorough  discussion  of  all  the  interests  involved,  sections 
were  incorporated  into  the  charter  requiring  the  company  to  pay  five 
per  cent  of  its  gross  receipts  into  the  state  treasury  semi-annually ; 
exempting  railroad  lands  from  taxation  and  the  stock  of  the  railroad 
for  six  years;  after  which  an  annual  state  tax  was  to  be  levied  on  the 
railroad  properties,  and  should  that  exceed  three-fourths  of  one  per 
cent  per  annum,  such  excess  should  be  deducted  from  the  before  men- 
tioned gross  receipts;  provided  the  five  per  cent  on  the  gross  railroad 
receipts  and  the  state  taxes  to  be  paid  do  not  amount  to  seven  per  cent 
of  the  gross  receipts  of  the  company,  in  which  case  the  difference,  up 
to  seven  per  cent  shall  be  paid  by  the  company  into  the  state  treasury. 

EELATIONS  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  WITH  THE  STATE 

In  pursuance  with  these  charter  provisions,  the  first  four  semi- 
annual payments  made  to  the  state  treasury  by  the  Illinois  Central 
Company  consisted  of  five  per  cent  of  the  gross  earnings;  since  April 
30,  1857,  the  payments  have  been  made  on  a  basis  of  seven  per  cent  of 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  343 

the  gross  earnings.  The  first  semi-annual  payment,  made  October  31, 
1855,  amounted  to  $29,751.59;  this  sum  had  been  increased  to  $718,- 
705.01  on  October  31,  1915.  The  total  paid  into  the  state  treasury  in  the 
past  sixty  years  is  $36,973,294.38.  In  a  few  instances,  as  in  1895  and 
1896,  the  Illinois  Central  Company  has  advanced  the  semi-annual 
payments  months  before  they  were  due,  and  thus  relieved"  the  state  from 
a  deficit  in  the  treasury.  By  an  opinion  of  the  attorney  general  of  the 
state  the  provisions  of  the  railroad  charter  apply  to  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  from  Cairo  via  Centralia  to  La  Salle,  over  300  miles;  from 
La  Salle  via  Galena  to  Dunleith,  over  146  miles;  from  Centralia  to 
Chicago,  nearly  250  miles.  The  charter  does  not  apply  to  any  roads 
leased,  purchased  or  built  by  the  company  other  than  the  697.5  miles 
referred  to. 

The  Illinois  Central  Company  listed  its  property  with  the  auditor 
of  public  accounts  from  1855  to  1859,  but  from  that  year  until  the 
spring  of  1906  did  not  do  so,  claiming  that  the  seven  per  cent  of  its 
gross  earnings  was  the  maximum  amount  which  it  was  required  to  pay 
into  the  state  treasury.  Since  1906  the  railroad  company  has  listed 
its  property  with  the  auditor,  and  after  paying  five  per  cent  of  its  gross 
earnings  and  the  state  taxes,  makes  up  any  deficit  which  may  there- 
after occur  up  to  seven  per  cent  of  its  gross  receipts.  The  state  of 
Illinois  and  the  Illinois  Central  have,  on  the  whole,  been  harmonious 
partners. 

ACTUAL  SURVEY  AND  CONSTRUCTION 

Now,  as  to  the  actual  work  of  survey  and  construction — an  engineer- 
ing party,  organized  at  Chicago,  May  21,  1851,  began  the  preliminary 
survey  of  the  Chicago  branch  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  that  line 
was  surveyed  and  staked.  The  grading  was  completed  in  1852.  In 
May,  1853,  the  section  from  La  Salle  to  Bloomington  was  opened  to 
the  public,  and  in  July  of  the  following  year  the  first  train  entered 
West  Urbana  from  Chicago,  128  miles.  The  Illinois  Central  depot, 
which  had  been  commenced  a  year  previous,  was  ready  for  the  reception 
of  travelers.  In  August  following  the  arrival  of  the  Illinois  Central 
train,  the  old  mail  coach  was  abandoned  and  Postmaster  A.  P.  Cun- 
ningham commenced  to  use  the  railroad  for  communication  by  letter 
and  newspaper. 

WEST  URBANA  (CHAMPAIGN)  FOUNDED 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  line  to  the  central  part  of  the 
county,  T.  R.  Webber,  as  master  in  chancery  and  under  a  decree  of 


344  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

the  Circuit  Court,  platted  and  sold  that  portion  of  the  Busey  estate 
north  of  Springfield  Avenue  between  First  and  Wright  streets.  This 
was  followed  by  the  platting  of  the  land  between  Neil  and  First  streets, 
by  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad,  which  is  now  the  main  business 
section  of  Champaign.  Soon  afterward,  Jeffrey  A.  Farnam  and  Nathan 
M.  Clark,  two'  construction  engineers  of  the  newly  built  railroad,  and 
John  P.  White,  made  an  addition  to  West  Urbana  under  the  firm 
name  of  Farnam,  Clark  &  White.  In  that  addition  fifteen  acres  were 
set  apart  for  a  public  park,  the  first  in  the  county  and  known  as 
White  Park. 

If  the  depot  be  excepted,  the  Illinois  Central  erected  the  first  build- 
ing in  the  business  part  of  what  is  now  Champaign.  It  was  the  tempor- 
ary building  used  by  its  corps  of  construction  engineers  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  First  South  and  Market  streets.  This  was  soon  followed 
by  the  first  general  store  erected  by  John  C.  Baddeley,  on  North  Neil 
Street,  which  the  proprietor  opened  in  October,  1854.  Mr  Baddeley 
was  the  postmaster  also.  From  this  time  on,  West  Urbana  grew  apace. 

JUST  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD  CAME 

Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham  came  into  the  county  while  the  workmen 
were  grading  the  Illinois  Central  from  Chicago,  and  thus  pictures  con- 
ditions during  that  raw  period:  "In  1853,  twenty  years  after  this 
became  a  county,  I  first  saw  these  beautiful  landscapes  then  almost  in 
a  state  of  nature,  and  determined  to  make  this  my  future  home. 
Except  in  the  limited  increase  in  population,  the  county  has  made  but 
little  advancement  in  twenty  years.  From  two  postoffices,  Van  Buren 
and  Ludington,  afterward  changed  to  Homer,  the  number  had  increased 
to  five  only.  None  of  the  streams  were  bridged  except  the  Salt  Fork 
at  Homer.  The  roads  were  little  better  than  traces  across  the  prairies 
and  through  timber  belts,  with  but  little  improvements  in  the  lanes  in 
the  way  of  grading  and  culverts.  The  settlements  were  confined  to  the 
groves  and  timber  belts  almost  exclusively.  I  only  remember  a  few 
farms  opened  a  mile  from  the  timber.  The  road  from  Urbana  to 
Mahomet — from  timber  to  timber — had  perhaps  not  to  exceed  six  farms 
opened  upon  it.  Few  could  be  found  who  were  daring  enough  to  assert 
that  these  prairies  would  ever  be  settled.  Lands  could  be  had  at  from 
a  few  cents  per  acre  for  government  lands  under  the  graduation  law 
to  $10  per  acre  for  choice  improved  locations.  There  were,  perhaps, 
five  or  six  cheap  church  buildings,  one  of  which  was  in  Urbana,  and 
not  to  exceed  a  dozen  schoolhouses  of  all  kinds.  No  railroad,  or  other 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  345 

public  means  of  conveyance,  touched  the  county,  although  the  Illinois 
Central  was  located  and  partly  graded.  Transportation  to  the  county 
was  conducted  entirely  by  private  conveyance,  and  mostly  from  the 
Wabash  towns,  to  which  merchandise  was  brought  from  the  eastern 
cities  by  canal  and  by  river  steamers." 

KAILROAD  LANDS  DRAW  SETTLERS 

The  result  upon  the  growth  of  the  Champaign  County  population 
which  followed  from  the  throwing  upon  the  market  of  large  tracts  of 
railroad  lands  was  most  marked  after  the  line  had  been  fairly  projected 
into  its  territory.  The  land  thus  donated  to  the  Illinois  Central  by 
the  state  (given  to  the  commonwealth  by  the  Congressional  Act  of 
1850)  amounted  to  2,595,000  acres,  lying  within  fifteen  miles  of  its 
road. 

On  the  12th  of  October,  1854,  the  following  announcement  appeared 
in  the  TJrbana  Union,  issued  by  John  Campbell,  land  agent  of  the 
Illinois  Central :  "The  lands  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company, 
situated  upon  and  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  Chicago  branch  of  their 
road,  and  extending  from  a  point  in  Effingham  County,  known  as  the 
north  boundary  of  township  six,  north  of  the  base  line,  to  a  point  in 
Iroquois  County  on  the  north  boundary  of  township  number  twenty- 
eight,  north  of  the  base  line,  are  now  offered  for  sale. 

"The  limits  above  mentioned  include  lands  situated  in  the  counties 
of  Jasper,  Effingham,  Cumberland,  Coles,  Moultrie,  Piatt  and  Cham- 
paign, and  a  part  of  Iroquois,  Livingston  and  Shelby. 

"The  character  of  these  lands  is  too  well  known  to  require  descrip- 
tion or  comment  in  commending  their  quality.  Persons  having  made 
application  for  any  of  these  lands,  and  all  others  wishing  to  purchase 
or  obtain  information  as  to  the  quality  of  particular  tracts  and  terms 
of  sale,  are  requested  to  apply  at  the  office  of  the  undersigned  at  the 
Urbana  Depot,  where  plats  of  the  land  may  be  seen  and  information 
in  reference  to  these  lands  cheerfully  given." 

CONGRESS  ATTEMPTS  TO  REGULATE  LAND  PRICES 

Many  pamphlets  had  already  been  distributed  in  the  more  settled 
section  of  the  east,  assuring  settlers  upon  the  railroad  lands  not  only  a 
competency  from  the  first,  but  a  prospective  fortune;  it  was  the  old 
story  of  the  progressive  and  unchecked  accumulation  of  eggs  and 
chickens.  Congress  also  took  a  hand  in  another  direction,  by  attempt- 


346  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ing  to  regulate  the  prices  of  public  lands,  and  in  August,  185i.  had 
passed  what  was  known  as  the  Graduation  Law.  By  its  terms  the 
prices  of  all  public  lands  remaining  unsold  were  reduced  and  graded 
according  to  the  periods  in  which  they  had  been  on  the  market.  Those 
which  had  been  opened  to  settlement  ten  years  or  upwards  were  reduced 
to  one  dollar  per  acre;  those  fifteen  years  or  upwards,  to  seventy-five 
cents;  twenty  years  or  upwards,  fifty  cents;  twenty-five  years  or 
upwards,  twenty-five  cents,  thirty  years  or  upwards,  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  per  acre.  Under  this  statute  many  obtained  cheap  lands  and 
made  for  themselves  good  homesteads;  as,  at  that  date,  there  were 
many  tracts  in  the  county  which,  owing  to  their  remote  location,  had 
been  rejected  by  both  homeseeker  and  speculator.  It  is  a  fact  that 
some  of  the  lands  which  originally  sold  for  12y%  cents  per  acre  are  now 
marketable  at  from  $100  to  $125  per  acre. 

INCREASE  OF  POPULATION  IN  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY 

The  ultimate  result  both  of  this  exploitation  of  the  railroad  lands, 
and  the  efforts  of  the  national  authorities  to  protect  the  interests  of 
homeseekers  in  regulating  the  prices  of  public  lands,  was  to  start  a 
rush  of  emigration  from  the  eastern  states  to  the  timber  lands  and 
prairies  of  Illinois.  Even  the  prairie  townships  of  Champaign  County, 
like  Stanton,  Harwood,  Ayers  and  Crittenden,  east  of  the  Illinois 
Central,  and  Colfax,  Brown  and  East  Bend,  west  of  the  line,  which  up 
to  the  time  of  its  coming  had  been  practically  without  population, 
soon  showed  signs  of  life,  while  the  prairie  neighborhoods  of  the  timber 
belts  and  the  groves  themselves  received  a  new  population  in  colonies. 
As  many  of  the  newcomers  were  not  practical  farmers,  such  additions 
were  not  always  advantageous  to  the  county. 

In  the  latter  class  were  not  a  few  settlers  on  the  railroad  lands;  and 
when  family  sickness,  and  frosts,  and  blights,  the  Civil  War  and  other 
unforeseen  hindrances  appeared,  many  returned  discouraged  to  the 
East.  Many  others  remained  and  earned  their  homesteads  and  repu- 
tations in  the  new  country.  It  is  justice  to  the  Illinois  Central  to  add 
that  it  was  always  lenient  and  even  generous  in  its  dealings  with  those 
who  purchased  its  lands  at  an  early  period,  and  were  unable  to  meet 
the  terms  of  the  purchase. 

Until  the  coming  of  the  Illinois  Central  there  was  virtually  no 
settlement  in  what  are  now  Rantoul  and  Ludlow  townships  except  the 
farm  opened  by  Archa  Campbell  at  Mink  Grove.  But  the  building  of 
the  railroad  promptly  stimulated  settlement,  especially  in  the  neigh- 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  347 

borhood  of  what  is  now  the  village  of  Rantoul.  A  large  colony  from 
northern  Ohio  came  in  1857,  and  both  Rantoul  and  Tomasboro  became 
stations  on  the  Illinois  Central.  Further  north  Pera  station  (now 
Lucllow)  had  been  established  at  an  earlier  date.  Both  Tolono  and 
Pesotum  were  stations  established  in  the  '50s,  a  land  office  being  in 
operation  at  the  former  place  in  1855.  Savoy  became  a  station  through 
the  activities  of  the  great  Dunlap  fruit  farm  and  nursery  which  was 
established  at  that  point  in  1858. 

What  is  now  the  Champaign  and  Havana  branch  of  the  Illinois 
Central,  after  passing  through  several  transformations,  in  September, 
1886,  was  sold  under  foreclosure  to  the  Illinois  Central.  The  stations 
west  of  Champaign  are  Bondville  and  Seymour,  in  Scott  Township. 
The  line  extends  from  Champaign  to  Havana,  Mason  County. 

The  Rantoul  division  of  the  Central,  from  Leroy,  McLean  County, 
to  the  Indiana  state  line,  was  chartered  in  1876  as  the  Havana,  Rantoul 
&  Eastern  Railroad.  It  was  built  as  a  narrow-gauge  line,  operated  as 
such  in  1881,  and  afterward  changed  to  standard.  Under  other  names 
it  was  several  times  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  and  in  1886  was 
absorbed  by  the  Illinois  Central.  It  crosses  the  main  line  of  the  Central 
at  Rantoul  and,  besides  Fisher,  its  stations  are  Lotus,  Dewey,  Gifford 
and  Penfield. 

THE  WABASH  RAILROAD 

The  Wabash  Railroad  in  Illinois  is  based  upon  the  old  Northern 
Cross  Railroad,  projected  as  a  part  of  the  Internal  Improvement 
scheme  of  1837.  The  section  from  Springfield  to  the  Illinois  River 
at  Meredosia,  Morgan  County,  fifty-eight  miles  west,  was  completed  in 
1842.  It  was  operated  for  a  time  by  mules,  but  it  was  finally  aban- 
doned as  an  enterprise  ahead  of  the  times  and  an  unprofitable  under- 
taking. In  1847  the  line  was  sold  to  Springfield  capitalists,  then  trans- 
ferred to  New  Yorkers,  who  organized  the  Sangamon  &  Morgan 
Railroad,  reconstructed  the  road  in  part,  and  opened  the  line  for  bus- 
iness in  1849.  In  1856  several  Ohio  and  Indiana  companies  were  con- 
solidated as  the  Toledo,  Wabash  &  Western  Railroad,  and  two  years 
later  a  reorganization  was  effected  as  the  Great  Western  Railroad 
Company — not  to  be  confused  with  the  old  corporation  by  that  name 
which  died  a  natural  death  just  before  the  Illinois  Central  was  gal- 
vanized into  life  by  Senator  Douglas. 

It  was  at  this  period  of  its  history  that  the  line  was  built  through 
southern  Champaign  County.  Old  Sidney,  which  had  been  platted  in 
1837  as  a  foreordained  station  on  the  Northern  Cross  Railroad  finallv 


348  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

came  to  its  own,  over  twenty  years  later,  as  a  station  on  the  Great 
Western.  Philo,  midway  between  Sidney  and  Tolono,  was  similarly 
honored ;  as  were  eventually  Sidney,  Tolono,  Sadorus  and  Ivesdale.  A 
branch  of  the  Wabash  cuts  through  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county ; 
stations  Foosland  and  Lotus. 

The  Wabash  system  was  mainly  an  outgrowth  of  the  Wabash,  St. 
Louis  &  Pacific,  the  consolidation  of  its  eastern  and  western  divisions 
under  the  present  name  having  been  effected  in  1889. 

THE  BIG  FOUR 

The  Big  Four  came  into  existence  in  1889-90  through  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis,  St.  Louis  &  Chicago,  the  Cleve- 
land, Columbus,  Cincinnati  &  Indianapolis  and  the  Indianapolis  &  St. 
Louis  railway  companies,  with  certain  leased  lines  in  Illinois.  It  was 
constructed  through  Champaign  County  as  the  Indianapolis,  Bloom- 
ington  &  Western  in  1869.  Ten  years  later  it  was  sold  under  fore- 
closure, in  1881  was  consolidated  with  the  Ohio,  Indiana  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  in  1887  took  the  name  of  the  Ohio,  Indiana  &  Western, 
and  in  February,  1890,  was  reorganized  as  the  Peoria  &  Eastern 
Eailroad  and  leased  to  the  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Eailway.  It  is  an  east  and  west  line  passing  through  two  central  tiers 
of  townships,  its  stations  being  Ogden,  St.  Joseph,  Urbana,  Champaign 
and  Mahomet.  The  large  shops  at  Urbana  were  opened  in  April,  1871. 

CHICAGO  AND  EASTERN  ILLINOIS 

The  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  was  chartered  in  1865  as  the  Chi- 
cago, Danville  &  Vincennes  Eailroad,  its  main  line  being  completed  in 
1872.  It  was  sold  under  foreclosure  in  1877  and  reorganized  as  the 
Chicago  &  Nashville,  but  later  in  that  year  took  its  present  name.  In 
1894  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Chicago  &  Indiana  Coal  Company. 
On  the  main  line  in  Champaign  County  are  the  stations  of  Bongarcl, 
Block,  Sidney,  Tipton,  Eoyal  and  Gerald.  It  crosses  the  Big  JFour 
about  a  mile  east  of  St.  Joseph.  The  branch  which  passes  through 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  county  accommodates  Long  View  and 
Broadlands. 

ILLINOIS  TRACTION  SYSTEM 

The  Illinois  Traction  system  passes  east  and  west  near  the  center  of 
the  county,  south  of  the  Big  Four  and  Illinois  Central,  taking  in 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  349 

Ogden,  St.  Joseph,  Mayview,  Urbana,  Champaign,  Staley,  Bonville,  and 
Seymour,  with  designated  local  stops  between  these  points.  It  is  linked 
with  Danville  and  the  Indiana  electric  system  on  the  east  and  is  con- 
nected with  Decatur  and  the  western  and  southwestern  lines  to  Spring- 
field and  St.  Louis.  Champaign  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Illinois 
Traction  system  and  the  home  of  its  president  and  general  manager, 
William  B.  McKinley.  The  other  officers  are  Charles  Dilley,  vice- 
president;  George  M.  Mattison,  treasurer,  and  H.  J.  Pepper,  manager. 

UBBANA  AND  CHAMPAIGN  BAILWAY,  GAS  AND  ELECTRIC  COMPANY 

Officially,  the  local  system  is  known  as  the  TJrbana  and  Champaign 
Railway,  Gas  and  Electric  Company,  and  the  wide  scope  of  its  corporate 
activities  is  indicated  by  the  title.  The  original  corporation  was  the 
Champaign  and  Urbana  Gas  Light  and  Coke  Company,  which  was 
incorporated  February  18,  1867,  by  John  Faulds,  Daniel  Gardner, 
Thomas  A.  Cosgrove,  C.  E.  Griggs,  John  G.  Clark  and  C.  M.  Sherffy. 
Gas  was  first  supplied  to  the  people  of  Champaign  in  September,  1869. 

On  the  25th  of  the  same  month  Edward  Ater,  Daniel  Gardner, 
Clark  E.  Griggs  and  others  organized  the  Urbana  and  Champaign 
Horse  Bailway  Company,  as  incorporators,  with  a  capital  of  $10,000. 
The  first  street  cars  were  run  by  mules  in  1863. 

In  March,  1889,  the  United  Manufacturing  Company  was  formed 
and  authorized,  under  its  charter,  to  manufacture  brick  and  tile,  steam 
heating  apparatus  and  chemicals  and  drugs,  as  well  as  electric  light 
machinery,  and  to  supply  power,  water  and  light.  It  took  over  the 
old  water  works  constructed  under  the  franchise  of  1884  and  the  plant 
of  the  Western  Electric  Light  Company,  which  had  been  in  operation 
since  September,  1885.  Both  of  these  plants  had  been  built  and 
developed  by  Mr.  McKinley,  who  was  the  moving  power  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  United  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1890  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  reorganized  Urbana  and  Champaign  Eailway,  Gas  and 
Electric  Company,  and  the  electric  railway  at  once  took  first  place  in 
the  general  scheme. 

WILLIAM  B.  MCKINLEY 

Probably  no  man  is  better  known  in  Illinois  as  a  promoter  and 
consolidator  of  public  utilities  than  William  B.  McKinley.  Between 
1890  and  1900  he  built  or  reconstructed  electric  roads  in  Springfield 
and  Defiance,  Ohio;  Bay  City,  Michigan;  and  Joliet,  La  Salle,  Gales- 
burg,  Quincy,  Danville  and  Decatur,  Illinois;  besides  the  Champaign 


350  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

and  Urbana  Electric  Railway.  Since  then,  aside  from  his  congressional 
work,  he  has  given  his  attention  largely  to  the  development  of  inter- 
urban  electric  systems  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  one  of  his  completed 
enterprises  having  been  the  joining  of  the  system  which  centers  at 
Champaign  with  the  Danville  and  Decatur  lines  to  the  east  and  west, 
respectively.  The  Danville,  Urbana  and  Champaign  Railway  Company 
was  granted  a  franchise  in  1901,  and  the  line  opened  to  Danville  in 
1903.  In  1907  the  system  was  extended  west  to  Decatur.  This  section 
is  said  to  be  the  only  interurban  line  in  the  country  operating  sleeping 
cars. 

In  December,  1890,  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  City  Council 
of  Champaign  granting  the  Urbana  and  Champaign  Railway,  Gas  and 
Electric  Company  the  right  to  light  the  streets  of  that  place,  and  a 
similar  privilege  was  accorded  the  corporation  by  the  municipal  author- 
ities of  Urbana.  The  first  arc  lamps  were  used  in  Urbana  during  1893 
and  in  Champaign  during  1896. 

The  water  supply  of  the  Twin  Cities  is  controlled  by  the  Champaign 
and  Urbana  Water  Company,  so  that  transportation  interests  are  what 
remain  to  the  great  corporation  which  has  had  a  continuous  history 
of  sixty  years.  For  many  years  H.  J.  Pepper  has  been  its  active  and 
resident  manager. 

For  three  or  four  years,  during  the  '90s,  B.  F.  Harris,  now  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Champaign,  owned  and  operated 
the  street  railway,  gas  and  electric  system  of  the  two  cities.  He  sold 
out  his  interest  to  Mr.  McKinley,  who  enlarged  and  improved  the 
system  and  has  stood  at  the  head  of  the  ownership  ever  since. 


CHAPTEE  X 
COUNTY'S  MILITAEY  RECOED 

FOUR  REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIERS — THE  HOPKINS  EXPEDITION  OF  1812 — 
SERVED  IN  THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR — "UNCLE  TOMMY  BUTLER"- 
MUTUAL  EXCITEMENT — -THE  MEXICAN  WAR — CIVIL  WAR  OFFICERS 
— JOHN  S.  WOLFE  ENLISTS  AND  RECRUITS — COMPANY  A,  TWEN- 
TIETH ILLINOIS  INFANTRY — COLONEL  WOLFE  OF  THE  ONE  HUN- 
DRED AND  THIRTY-FIFTH  REGIMENT  —  THE  TWENTY-FIFTH 
(WILLIAM  N.  COLER,  COLONEL) — TWENTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT 
— SEVENTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT  (CoL.  S.  T.  BUSEY) — READY  TO  OBEY 
— FORT  BLAKELEY  CARRIED  BY  STORM — MINOR  OFFICERS  OF  THE 
SEVENTY-SIXTH — THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FIFTH  REGI- 
MENT (CoL.  JAMES  W.  LANGLEY) — THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND 
THIRTY-FIFTH  AGAIN — CAVALRY  COMPANIES — PROMINENT  IN  SCAT- 
TERED COMMANDS — SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  SERVICE — STATE  UNI- 
VERSITY, PRESENT  MILITARY  CENTER. 

The  military  record  of  Champaign  County  really  commences  with 
its  participation  in  the  Civil  War.  Its  connection  with  the  National 
conflicts  which  preceded  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  is  an  indirect  one,  or 
is  confined  to  the  service'  of  scattered  individuals. 

FOUR  REVOLUTIONARY  SOLDIERS 

Although  it  would  have  been  manifestly  impossible  for  any  settlers 
on  the  soil  of  the  present  Champaign  County  to  have  participated  in 
the  earlier  wars  of  the  nation,  some  of  their  soldiers  who  went  from 
the  older  states  and  afterward  settled  in  Illinois  passed  their  last  years 
in  that  section  of  the  State.  It  is  of  record  that  at  least  four  Revolu- 
tionary soldiers  have  died  and  been  buried  in  Champaign  County : 
William  Hays,  the  grandfather  of  Asa  F.  Hays,  who  died  in  1852  on 
the  old  Albright  farm,  near  the  Somers  schoolhouse,  a  few  miles  north- 
east of  Urbana;  William  Kirby,  of  the  well  known  family  which  settled 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Big  Grove;  Newton  Shaw  and  Robert  Brown- 
field,  father  of  the  well  known  millwright  and  'Squire  John  Brownfield. 
The  father  died  in  1841.  John,  while  a  youth  and  while  the  family 

351 


352  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

was  living  in  Harrison  County,  Kentucky,  was  a  volunteer  in  the  War 
of  1812  and  spent  several  months  in  the  Harrison  campaigns  in  the 
Maumee  country,  for  which  he  received  a  Government  land  warrant. 
The  family  came  to  Champaign  County  in  1832. 

All  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  except  Mr.  Brownfield  were  buried 
in  the  Clements  cemetery,  about  four  miles  northeast  of  Urbana,  and 
Mr.  Brownfield  himself  was  buried  in  private  grounds  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. 

THE  HOPKINS  EXPEDITION  OF  1812 

The  county,  as  at  present  defined,  had  no  settlers  to  serve  in  the  War 
of  1812,  and  is  identified  with  that  conflict  only  from  its  territorial 
location.  It  was  in  the  direct  line  of  march  of  General  Hopkins,  a 
Revolutionary  veteran  in  command  of  the  Kentucky  riflemen  at  Vin- 
cennes,  who,  after  destroying  the  hostile  Indian  villages  in  the  Wabash 
Valley,  was  to  march  across  country  and  join  General  Russell  at  Peoria 
Lake,  in  the  Illinois  Valley,  and  finish  the  work  of  destruction  among 
the  enemy  red  men  of  the  Illinois  country.  But  the  troops  were  undis- 
ciplined and  some  deserted  even  before  they  reached  the  Grand  Prairie. 
Those  who  remained  hunted  game,  threw  off  all  pretentious  at  discipline, 
and  on  the  fourth  day  from.  Fort  Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  the  expedi- 
tion, as  a  whole,  lost  its  way.  To  make  the  confusion  worse,  if  possible, 
the  Indians,  who  had  discovered  the  state  of  affairs,  set  fire  to  the 
prairie  grass  and  otherwise  harassed  the  force. 

General  Hopkins,  in  describing  his  ill-starred  expedition,  says  that 
on  the  night  of  October  19,  1812,  the  soldiers  encamped  at  a  grove  of 
timber  affording  water,  and,  in  consideration  of  the  distance  and  gen- 
eral direction  marched,  county  historians  have  long  claimed  that  the 
description  and  facts  fix  the  locality  as  the  Big  Grove  of  Champaign 
County.  Capt.  Zachary  Taylor  was  of  the  Hopkins  party  and  did  all 
he  could  to  second  the  efforts  of  the  commanding  general  to  bring  the 
men  into  some  kind  of  subjection.  All  such  efforts  were  in  vain. 
What  started  from  Vincennes  as  a  little  army  less  than  a  week  previous 
had  become  a  mob  which  broke  into  fragments  and  disappeared. 

SERVED  IN  THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR 

Quite  a  number  of  families  had  settled  in  what  is  now  Champaign 
County  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  at  least  two  of 
the  men  are  known  to  have  joined  Captain  Brown's  Mounted  Rangers, 
or  United  States  Regulars,  as  they  were  also  called.  They  furnished 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  353 

their  own  horses,  clothes  and  guns,  and  were  paid  $1  a  day  for  their 
services.  The  term  of  enlistment  was  for  one  year.  The  company  of 
Vermilion  County  men  naturally  mustered  at  Danville,  the  county  seat; 
in  fact,  most  of  its  members  were  citizens  of  that  place,  perhaps  half 
a  dozen  coming  from  the  western  districts.  The  entire  regiment,  under 
orders  for  the  seat  of  war  in  northern  Illinois,  crossed  the  Wabash 
River  at  Terre  Haute,  and  a  northwesterly  course  led  them  through 
Champaign  County.  One  night  the  ground  near  the  creek  on  West 
Main  Street,  Urbana,  near  the  present  site  of  the  Christian  Church,  was 
chosen  as  a  camp,  and  was  so  occupied  until  the  next  morning.  The 
regiment  marched  through  the  county  under  arms  from  the  south  to 
the  north  line. 

Thomas  L.  Butler,  Martin  Rhinehart,  Jacob  Heator,  James  Johnson, 
Thomas  Richards,  Elias  Stanley  and  Rev.  Mr.  Mahurin  comprised  the 
delegation  from  the  western  part  of  Vermilion  County.  The  last  named 
was  a  Baptist  minister  who  resided  and  preached  in  Big  Grove.  He 
went  forth  as  a  chaplain  and  never  returned. 

Jacob  Heator  was  also  a  pioneer  settler  of  that  locality,  in  Section 
28,  and  in  1834,  soon  after  his  return  from  military  service,  invested 
his  wages  in  a  piece  of  land  which  he  purchased  from  John  Whittaker. 
He  lived  on  that  property  until  about  1854,  when  he  sold  to  William  N. 
Coler  (the  Civil  War  colonel)  and  migrated  to  Iowa,  where  he  died. 

•  "UNCLE  TOMMY  BUTLER" 

Thomas  L.  Butler  and  Martin  Rhinehart,  two  of  the  oldest  and 
most  popular  citizens  of  the  county,  were  long  noted  as  the  only  survivors 
of  the  Black  Hawk  War  in  Champaign  County.  Mr.  Butler  came  to 
Illinois  from  his  native  Pennsylvania  in  the  fall  of  1828,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  and  first  settled  at  Danville.  Before  the  Black  Hawk  War 
he  had  taken  up  land  near  the  present  village  of  Homer,  one  of  his 
neighbors  being  Moses  Thqmas,  the  probate  justice  and  part  proprietor 
of  the  village  site.  Judge  .Thomas  was  his  brother-in-law.  "Uncle 
Tommy  Butler,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  a  small  man,  but 
wiry,  active  and  plucky,  and  many  of  the  old  settlers  of  larger  stature 
say  he  could  swing  a  cradle  with  any  of  them.  He  was  wont  to  say 
that  the  $1  a  day  which  he  received  as  a  soldier  of  the  Black  Hawk  War 
was  a  welcome  addition  to  his  income.  The  hard  frost  of  1829  killed 
all  the  corn  and  "times  were  still  close"  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county,  which  depended  so  much  on  that  crop.  He  was  one  of  the 
Champaign  County  settlers  who  made  frequent  trips  to  Chicago  with 
ox  teams,  to  take  his  crop  to  market  and  buy  groceries  and  other  family 

1—23 


354  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY- 

supplies.     The  round  trip  occupied  seventeen  days.     "Uncle  Tommy" 
lived  to  be  very  old  and  was  finally  killed  in  a  railroad  accident. 

A  sketch  of  Martin  Ehinehart,  who,  with  his  father,  was  an  early 
settler  in  the  Big  Grove  in  Somer  Township,  northeast  of  Urbana,  has 
already  been  given.  He  died  in  Wisconsin  many  years  ago. 

MUTUAL  EXCITEMENT 

During  the  Black  Hawk  War  the  inhabitants  of  the  Sangamon  Tim- 
ber were  especially  excited  over  a  rumored  Indian  raid  from  McLean 
County.  Some  Ivickapoo  Indians  had  gathered  at  Old  Town  Timber, 
a  few  miles  to  the  west,  huddling  together  like  badly  frightened  sheep, 
their  entire  object  being  to  keep  out  of  the  war.  But  the  few  settlers  in 
the  Sangamon  Timber  of  what  is  now  Champaign  County  got  a  different 
idea  of  their  intentions,  gathered  in  a  cabin  and  prepared  boldly  for 
defense,  if  not  offense.  Nothing  happened  on  either  side,  and  the  panic 
died  after  a  few  days  into  a  complete  calm. 

THE  MEXICAN  WAR 

The  scene  of  operations  in  the  Mexican  War  was  so  far  from  Cham- 
paign County,  and  the  interior  of  Illinois  was  even  then  so  sparsely 
settled,  that  there  is  little  of  an  individual  nature  to  record  connecting 
that  section  of  the  State  with  the  conflict  beyond  the  southern  border. 
William  N.  Coler,  so  prominent  in  the  Civil  War,  served  as  a  youth  in 
the  war  with  Mexico. 

CIVIL  WAR  OFFICERS 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  like  a  sudden  and  tremendous 
storm,  sent  an  electric  shock  throughout  the  United  States,  and  nowhere 
was  it  more  pronounced  than  in  eastern  and  central  Illinois.  Not  only 
was  the  response  to  the  presidential  call  for  troops  prompt  and  generous 
on  the  part  of  the  rank  and  file,  but  several  officers  of  prominence  are 
to  be  credited  to  Champaign  County.  Among  these  leaders  were 
Gen.  Samuel  T.  Busey  of  Urbana,  Cols.  William  N.  Coler,  John  S. 
Wolfe,  Richard  H.  Nodine  and  James  W.  Langley  of  Champaign,  and 
Capt.  Nathan  M.  Clark  of  Urbana. 

JOHN  S.  WOLFE  ENLISTS  AND  RECRUITS 

Champaign  and  Urbana  were  the  centers  for  recruiting.  The  attack 
on  Fort  Sumter  commenced  on  a  Friday,  and  by  Monday  Champaign 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  355 

County  men  were  enrolling  themselves  for  Union  service.  John  S. 
Wolfe,  a  young  lawyer  of  Champaign,  had  studied  law  with  John  M. 
Palmer,  then  of  Macoupin  County,  and  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1859.  First  he  had  opened  an  office  at  Carlinville  with  his  fellow 
student,  James  W.  Langley,  and  a  year  later  had  moved  to  Champaign, 
where  he  resided  most  of  the  time  until  his  death  in  1904. 

COMPANY  A,  TWENTIETH  ILLINOIS  INFANTRY 

A  day  or  two  after  President  Lincoln's  call  for  75,000  men,  Attorney 
Wolfe  made  an  eloquent  address  at  a  public  meeting  in  Champaign 
called  to  enroll  volunteers,  and  enforced  his  words  by  stepping  forward 
and  placing  his  name  at  the  head  of  the  list.  Others  soon  followed 
and  he  was  chosen  captain  of  the  company,  which  was  organized  within 
a  week  as  A,  Twentieth  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  The 
unit  was  placed  in  a  camp  of  instruction  at  the  fair  grounds  north  of 
Urbana.  The  men  selected  as  their  lieutenants  were  Daniel  Bradley 
and  George  W.  Kennard,  the  former  to  be  the  colonel  and  the  latter 
the  major  of  the  regiment.  The  rush  for  enrollment  prevented  the 
company  and  the  regiment  from  being  formally  organized  until  May  14, 
1861.  It  went  into  camp  at  Joliet,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service 
on  June  13th,  even  then  being  one  of  the  first  regiments  in  the  State 
to  enter  the  three-years'  service.  As  a  result  of  resignations  and  promo- 
tions in  Company  A,  William  Archdeacon,  John  H.  Austin  and  Andrew 
Eogerson  were  advanced  to  the  grade  of  first  lieutenant  and  the  two 
last  named  to  the  captaincy.  After  three  years  of  fighting  and  marching 
the  Twentieth  veteranized,  participated  in  the  grand  review  at  Wash- 
ington at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  July  16,  1865. 

COLONEL  WOLFE  OF  THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FIFTH  REGIMENT 

Captain  Wolfe  was  obliged  to  resign  after  about  a  year  of  service 
on  account  of  disability,  but,  having  recovered  his  health,  he  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  100  days  regiment,  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
fifth,  which  was  mustered  in  at  Mattoon,  June  6,  1864.  Of  that  he 
was  chosen  colonel,  his  command  being  on  duty  chiefly  in  Missouri 
guarding  railways  and  other  lines  of  communication  between  various 
sections  of  the  Union  armies  in  the  Southwest.  Dr.  S.  H.  Biruey  of 
Urbana,  who  served  as  surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth, 
afterward  became  one  of  the  prominent  members  of  his  profession.  He 
spent  ten  years  in  Denver,  but  returned  to  Urbana  in  1898  and  died 
there  two  years  later. 


356  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUXTY 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  Colonel  Wolfe  returned  to  Champaign 
and  resumed  his  practice  and  partnership  with  James  W.  Langley,  who 
had  himself  become  a  colonel,  and  continued  in  active  and  successful 
professional  work  at  Champaign  until  his  death  June  23,  1904.  Dur- 
ing the  last  thirty  years  of  that  period  he  was  local  attorney  for  the 
Illinois  Central.  Colonel  Wolfe  spent  considerable  time  in  travel  during 
the  last  few  years  of  his  life. 

THE  TWENTY-FIFTH  (WILLIAM  N.  COLER,  COLONEL) 

Soon  after  the  departure  of  the  Twentieth  Eegiment  for  its  camp 
at  Joliet,  William  N.  Coler,  a  prominent  lawyer,  newspaper  man  and 
Democratic  leader  of  the  county  and  a  resident  of  Urbana,  was  com- 
missioned by  President  Lincoln  to  organize  a  regiment  in  Champaign 
County  and  adjoining  territory,  and  by  the  early  part  of  July  had  com- 
pleted the  organization,  the  Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
It  was  accepted  in  August,  1861,  and  of  the  ten  full  companies,  C  was 
enlisted  at  Homer,  I  at  Middletown  and  K  at  Urbana,  nearly  all  the 
men  being  residents  of  the  county.  Colonel  Coler,  who  had  served  in 
the  Mexican  War  as  a  youth  under  Col.  G.  W.  Morgan  (famous  in  the 
Confederate  cavalry  service),  continued  in  command  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Illinois  Infantry  until  the  fall  of  1862,  when  he  returned  to  the  county 
and  located  at  Champaign.  Ten  years  afterward,  with  his  sons,  he 
moved  to  New  York  City. 

Colonel  Coler's  successors,  in  command  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Eegi- 
ment, were  Col.  Thomas  D.  Williams,  who  was  killed  in  battle,  December, 
1862;  Col.  Caswell  P.  "Ford,  who  resigned  in  April,  1863,  and 
Col.  Richard  H.  Nodine  of  Champaign,  who  was  promoted  frommajor 
and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  September  5,  1864.'  George  W. 
Flynn  of  Urbana,  early  became  adjutant  of  the  regiment  and  held  the 
office  until  it  mustered  out.  In  the  same  regiment  were  Dr.  E.  H. 
Brown  of  Mahomet  and  Dr.  Myron  S.  Brown  of  Urbana,  assistant  sur- 
geons. M.  B.  Thompson  was  sergeant  major. 

The  successive  captains  of  Company  C  were  Charles  A.  Summers  and 
Zebulon  Hall  of  Homer;  of  Company  I,  Samuel  Houston  of  Newcomb, 
afterward  promoted  to  major,  and  Everett  G.  Knapp  of  Champaign, 
and  of  Company  K,  Ezekiel  Boyden,  James  M.  Tracy  and  Edward  S. 
Sherman,  all  of  Urbana. 

When  the  term  of  service  of  the  Twenty-fifth  ended  in  September, 
1864,  Col.  W.  H.  Gibson,  commander  of  the  brigade  to  which  the  regi- 
ment was  attached,  addressed  the  men,  through  an  official  order,  con- 
gratulating them  on  their  splendid  record,  and  referring  especially  to 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  357 

their  bravery  at  Pea  Eidge,  Corinth,  Champion  Hills,  Stone  River. 
Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Noonday  Creek,  Pinetop  Mountain, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Chattahoochie,  Peachtree  Creek  and  Atlanta. 

TWENTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT 

The  Twenty-sixth  Regiment  was  recruited  soon  after  the  Twenty- 
fifth,  and  Charles  J.  Tinkham  of  Homer  became  its  first  lieutenant 
colonel.  Company  F  of  the  regiment  was  largely  recruited  from  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county.  Its  captains  were  C.  J.  Tinkham  and 
Lee  M.  Irwin,  both  of  Homer.  A  large  proportion  of  this  company 
veteranized  with  the  regiment,  participated  in  the  Sherman  campaigns, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  July  20,  1865.  It  was  in  twenty- 
eight  battles  and  numerous  skirmishes  and  its  marches  covered  nearly 
7,000  miles. 

SEVENTY-SIXTH  REGIMENT  (CoL.  S.  T.  BUSEY) 

The  Seventy-sixth  Regiment  was  mustered  into  the  Union  service 
at  Kankakee,  August  22,  1862.  Samuel  T.  Busey  of  Urbana  was  elected 
captain  of  Company  B,  and  on  the  organization  of  the  regiment  became 
its  lieutenant  colonel.  In  that  capacity  he  went  south  to  Columbus, 
Kentucky,  then  the  base  of  supplies  for  Grant's  army  at  Corinth.  The 
regiment  garrisoned  Holly  Springs  and  performed  other  necessary 
service  for  the  coming  commander  of  the  Union  armies. 

READY  TO  OBEY 

In  April,  1863,  he  became  colonel  of  his  regiment,  and  joined  Grant's 
army  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  His  division  being  sent  to  Snyder's 
Bluff  to  guard  the  rear,  the  officers  of  the  division  circulated  a  petition 
to  General  Grant-  requesting  that  their  troops  be  sent  to  the  front. 
Colonel  Busey  refused  to  sign  it,  stating  that  Grant  was  in  command, 
and  it  was  the  duty  of  a  brave  soldier  to  take  any  position  assigned  him, 
and  not  annoy  the  commanding  general  who  was  responsible  for  results. 
When  chided  by  other  officers,  he  quietly  remarked :  "The  Seventy-sixth 
is  ready  to  go  when  and  where  it  is  ordered  and  will  do  the  best  it 
knows  how,  but  I  trust  I  have  no  officer  willing  to  seek  promotion  by 
needlessly  sacrificing  a  single  man."  Three  days  later  the  division  was 
ordered  to  the  extreme  left.  The  first  night  it  is  said  that  two  of  the 
regiments  whose  officers  had  expressed  themselves  as  unwilling  to  be 


358  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

relegated  to  the  rear  were  surprised  and  routed  and  more  than  100 
taken  prisoners.  The  Seventy-sixth  came  to  the  rescue,  prevented  what 
might  have  been  a  general  rout,  advanced  the  line  on  the  river  bank, 
and  afterward  took  and  held  the  most  advanced  position  on  the  entire 
line  until  the  surrender.  Colonel  Busey  then  led  his  regiment  to  Jack- 
son, Mississippi,  and  held  the  post  of  honor,  the  extreme  right,  during 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  Union  officer 
to  enter  the  city  after  its  evacuation  by  the  Confederate  army,  and  won 
the  gratitude  of  its  citizens  by  his  efforts  to  subdue  incendiary  fires  and 
restrain  lawlessness. 

FORT  BLAKELY  CARRIED  BY  STORM 

Colonel  Busey  refused  promotion  to  brigadier  general  because  he 
wished  to  remain  in  close  touch  with  his  old  regiment;  he  also  declined 
the  command  of  the  Natchez  post  for  the  same  reason.  The  Seventy- 
sixth  was  then  attached  to  the  Reserve  Corps  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
and  he  led  several  important  expeditions  into  the  surrounding  country. 
Still  in  active  command  of  his  regiment,  he  left  Memphis  January  1, 
1865,  and  was  the  first  to  report  to  General  Canby  at  New  Orleans  of 
the  army  which  afterward  operated  against  Mobile.  Fort  Blakely,  the 
last  stronghold  to  that  city,  was  carried  by  assault,  after  a  hot  siege  of 
ten  days,  April  9,  1865.  The  Seventy-sixth  was  the  first  inside  the  Con- 
federate works,  and  suffered  a  greater  loss  than  all  the  remainder  of  the 
command. 

Colonel  Busey  was  the  second  man  on  the  enemy's  works.  The  pri- 
vate who  preceded  him  was  killed  and  the  colonel  wounded  after  a  fight 
with  several  men.  He  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  New  Orleans,  but 
returned  to  the  front  in  June  and  was  then  mustered  for  discharge  at 
Galveston,  Texas.  He  was  formally  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  August  6, 
1865.  He  was  afterward  commissioned  as  brevet  brigadier  general,  on 
recommendation  of  General  Grant  and  others,  for  special  gallantry  in 
leading  his  regiment  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Blakely. 

MINOR  OFFICERS  OF  THE  SEVENTY-SIXTH 

George  J.  Hodges  of  Champaign  was  mustered  in  as  quartermaster 
of  the  Seventy-sixth,  and  was  succeeded  August  9,  1864,  by  John  W. 
Somers,  a  brother  of  the  well  known  Urbana  lawyer  and  government 
official.  He  afterward  moved  to  Iowa. 

Companies  B  and  G  were  composed  almost  entirely  of  men  from 
Urbana  and  Champaign  and  their  neighborhoods.  Succeeding  Colonel 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  359 

Busey  as  captain  of  Company  B  upon  his  promotion  to  the  lieutenancy 
were  Homer  W.  Ayers,  Ning  A.  Eiley,  John  K.  Miller  and  Eobert  A. 
Frame,  all  of  Urbana  and  promoted  from  first  lieutenant.  Company  G 
had  as  captains  Joseph  Park  and  Joseph  Ingersoll  of  Urbana.  Captain 
Park  served  from  the  muster  in,  August  22,  1862,  until  January  5, 
1863,  and  Captain  Ingersoll  from  that  date  until  the  muster  out,  June 
20,  1865.  James  S.  McCullough,  who  was  county  clerk  in  1873-96,  lost 
an  arm  while  fighting  as  a  youthful  soldier  of  the  Seventy-sixth  at  Kene- 
saw  Mountain. 

THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-FIFTH  EEGIMENT  (CoL.  JAMES  W. 

LANGLET) 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Eegiment  was  raised  largely  in 
the  two  counties  of  Champaign  and  Vermilion,  and  was  mustered  in  at 
Danville,  September  3,  1862,  under  command  of  Col.  Oscar  F.  Harmon 
of  that  place,  with  James  W.  Langley,  the  Champaign  lawyer  and 
partner  of  John  S.  Wolfe,  as  lieutenant  colonel.  A.  M.  Ayers  of 
Urbana  was  quartermaster.  Colonel  Harmon  was  killed  in  battle  at 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  June  27,  1864,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Langley 
succeeded  to  the  command,  which  he  retained  until  the  muster  out  at 
the  end  of  the  war.  In  that  bloody  engagement  Capt.  Nathan  M.  Clark 
of  Company  E,  Champaign,  lost  an  arm,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  com- 
mand by  George  W.  B.  Sadorus  of  Sadorus.  Captain  Clark,  who  served 
as  sheriff  and  county  clerk  after  the  war,  died  in  1869.  Frederick  B. 
Sale  of  Newcomb,  who  was  captain  of  Company  F,  was  succeeded  by 
John  B.  Lester  of  the  same  town,  who  had  advanced  from  the  ranks 
to  the  head  of  his  company.  He  afterward  became  prominent  in  town- 
ship and  county  affairs. 

The  record  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Eegiment  embraces 
the  battles  of  Perryville,  Missionary  Eidge,  Buzzard's  Boost,  Kenesaw 
Mountain  and  Peachtree  Creek,  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  the  march  to  the 
sea,  the  Carolina  campaign  and  the  grand  review. 

THE  ONE  HDNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FIFTH  AGAIN 

As  noted  in  the  sketch  of  John  S.  Wolfe,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-fifth  Eegiment,  which  he  assisted  to  raise  and  of  which  he  was 
colonel,  was  mustered  into  the  service  in  June,  1864,  for  the  100  days 
service.  Companies  A  and  B  were  raised  in  Champaign  County  and 
their  respective  captains  were  Benjamin  Burt  of  Urbana  and  Edward 
Bailey  of  Champaign. 


360  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

CAVALRY  COMPANIES 

Company  I,  Second  Begiment,  Illinois  Cavalry,  largely  composed 
of  Champaign  County  men,  was  successively  commanded  by  Charles  A. 
Vieregg  and  Henry  Bartling  of  Champaign  and  Moses  E.  Kelley  of 
Pesotum.  Many  of  its  members  became  veterans  after  their  three  years' 
service,  and  the  regiment  was  not  mustered  out  (at  Springfield)  until 
November  24,  1865.  Its  battles  and  skirmishes  ranged  up  and  down 
the  Mississippi  Valley. 

Company  I,  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  also  numbered  many  men  from 
Champaign  County.  It  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Camp  Butler 
in  September,  1861,  and  its  captains  were  James  Butterfield  and 
William  H.  Coffman  of  Champaign. 

PROMINENT  IN  SCATTERED  COMMANDS 

The  record  of  Champaign  County  in  the  Civil  War  would  stretch 
out  to  much  greater  length  if  mention  were  made  of  all  who  honored 
their  sections  and  themselves  in  official  positions  below  captaincies,  those 
who  bore  themselves  faithfully  and  bravely  in  the  ranks,  and  not  a  few 
who  attained  some  prominence  in  scattered  commands.  In  the  last 
named  class  must,  however,  be  mentioned  Dr.  Charles  A.  Hunt,  the  able 
physician  and  ex-mayor  of  Urbana,  who  died  at  Mount  City  Hospital, 
Mississippi,  in  August,  1863,  while  as  bravely  performing  his  duties  as 
surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Eegiment  as  though  he 
were  leading  a  charge  on  the  field  of  battle ;  Dr.  J.  T.  Miller,  also  of 
Urbana,  surgeon  of  the  Sixtieth  Infantry;  Dr.  Charles  A.  Thompson 
of  Urbana,  first  assistant  surgeon  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Infantry 
and  finally  surgeon  of  the  Ninetieth ;  Capt.  Eugene  P. .  Frederick  of 
Ogden  Township,  a  stanch  German-American,  who  rose  from  a  private 
to  a  captaincy  in  the  Fifty-first  Infantry.  There  were  quite  a  number 
of  Champaign  County  citizens  in  Companies  B  and  E  of  that  regiment, 
as  well  as  in  Company  G  of  the  Seventy-second. 

SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR  SERVICE 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  War,  in  the  spring  of 
1898,  Company  M  of  the  Fourth  Eegiment,  Illinois  National  Guard, 
had  been  organized  for  a  number  of  years.  Its  membership  was  mostly 
drawn  from  Champaign  and  Urbana.  On  April  25th,  Adjutant  General 
Eeece  ordered  the  regiment  to  report  at  Springfield  and  on  the  20th  of 
May,  with  Company  M,  it  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  361 

States  by  Captain  Roberts  of  the  Seventeenth  Infantry,  the  regiment 
being  under  the  command  of  Col.  Casimer  Andel  of  Belleville. 

Roster  of  Company  M  at  the  time  of  muster  in :  Captain,  William  R. 
Courtney  of  Urbana ;  first  lieutenant,  Arthur  W.  Smith,  and  second 
lieutenant,  Fred  E.  Thompson,  both  of  Urbana;  first  sergeant  and  quar- 
termaster sergeant,  George  E.  Doty  and  Sidney  G.  Choate  of  Champaign. 
The  Fourth  Regiment,  as  a  part  of  the  Second  Brigade,  arrived  at  Jack- 
sonville, Florida,  May  29th,  and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Cuba  Libre 
under  command  of  Gen.  Fitzhugh  Lee.  While  at  that  point  Colonel 
Andel  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Col.  Eben  Swift  of  the  Ninth 
Regiment.  After  remaining  on  provost  duty  until  October,  the  Fourth 
was  transferred  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  the  men  devoting  their  time  to 
drill  and  practice  marches.  In  January,  1899,  it  embarked  for  Havana, 
and  during  its  three  months'  stay  on  the  island  was  stationed  at  Camp 
Columbia,  near  Havana,  performing  faithfully  its  duties  of  guard  and 
camp,  and  keeping  in  condition  for  any  call  which  might  come.  On  the 
4th  of  April,  1899,  it  embarked  for  home  on  the  steamers  "Whitney" 
and  "Yarmouth,"  and  was  mustered  out  at  Camp  McKenzie,  Augusta, 
Georgia,  on  May  2d.  There  were  only  three  death  in  the  Champaign 
County  company — those  of  Herman  McFarland  and  George  E.  Turner 
of  Urbana  and  Percy  H.  Tittle  of  Champaign. 

Sidney  Cohen  is  the  present  captain  of  Company  M,  Fourth  Infantry, 
and  is  active  in  present-day  military  matters. 

STATE  UNIVERSITY,  PRESENT  MILITARY  CENTER 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  world  war  military  matters  have  been 
greatly  stimulated  in  Champaign  County,  especially  at  the  University 
of  Illinois,  the  head-center  of  all  such  movements,  which,  even  before 
the  culmination  of  European  clashes,  had  given  more  attention  to  such 
matters  than  any  other  educational  institution  in  the  country.  "The 
military  instruction  therein  is  in  charge  of  Maj.  Robert  W.  Mearns,  a 
graduate  of  West  Point,  who  saw  twenty-four  years  of  service  in  the 
United  States  army,  including  three  years  as  major  of  Philippine 
scouts.  Major  Mearns  was  appointed  professor  of  military  science  and 
tactics  of  the  State  university  in  1916,  and  the  four  assistant  professors 
have  all  been  connected  with  the  regular  army.  The  teaching  and 
administrative  force  under  the  major  comprises  fifteen  members. 

The  course  at  the  university  has  special  reference  to  the  duties  of 
officers  of  the  line,  and  the  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition  is  fur- 
nished by  the  war  department.  Every  male  student  under  twenty-five 


THE  ARMORY  AXD  AVIATIOX  CORPS 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  363 

years  of  age  is  required  to  drill  twice  a  week,  and  also  to  earn  a  certain 
number  of  credits  in  study.  A  committee  appointed  by  the  president 
of  the  university  examines  candidates  for  nomination  to  the  governor  of 
the  State  for  commissions  as  brevet  captains  in  the  State  militia.  Only 
seniors  are  eligible.  Since  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  against  Germany 
student  volunteers  must  pass  their  physical  examinations  both  at  the 
university  and  before  the  authorities  of  the  regular  recruiting  offices. 

The  Cadet  Brigade  of  the  University  of  Illinois  consists  of  two 
regiments  of  infantry,  comprising  two  headquarters  companies,  two 
machine  gun  companies,  two  supply  companies  and  twenty-four  com- 
panies; a  signal  company,  an  engineer  company  and  a  hospital  company. 
There  are  2,127  cadets  enrolled  in  the  military  department,  including 
the  band  of  167  men  and  113  commissioned  officers. 

Under  the  act  of  Congress  of  June  3,  1916,  there  have  also  been 
established  at  the  university  three  units  of  the  Reserve  Officers'  Training 
Corps.  All  male  students  of  the  university,  except  in  the  professional 
departments,  who  are  citizens  and  physically  able,  are  enrolled  in  the 
corps  during  their  freshman  and  sophomore  years,  and  are  required 
during  these  two  years  to  devote  three  periods  a  week  of  not  less  than 
one  hour  each  to  military  science  and  training.  At  the  end  of  the 
sophomore  year  a  student,  who  is  recommended  by  the  president  of  the 
university  and  the  professor  of  military  science  and  tactics,  may  sign 
a  form  of  written  agreement  prescribed  by  the  secretary  of  war  and 
thus  enroll  himself  for  two  more  years  of  service  in  the  Reserve  Officers' 
Training  Corps.  For  such  the  hours, devoted  to  study  and  training  are 
materially  increased.  A  student  who  thus  completes  the  elective 
advanced  course  is  eligible  for  appointment  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States  as  a  reserve  officer  of  the  United  States  army  for  a  period 
of  ten  years;  and  is  also  eligible  for  appointment  as  a  temporary  second 
lieutenant  of  the  regular  army  in  time  of  peace  for  purposes  of  instruc- 
tion, with  the  allowances  provided  by  law  for  that  grade,  and  pay  at 
the  rate  of  $100  a  month  for  six  months.  On  the  expiration  of  this 
period  of  service  with  the  regular  army,  he  reverts  to  the  status  of  a 
reserve  officer. 

The  military  status  of  the  University  of  Illinois  has  been  described 
somewhat  at  length  because  it  so  far  overshadows  everything  else  of  that 
nature  in  Champaign  County.  It  is  a  feature  in  which  its  citizens  take 
an  excusable  pride,  and  one  which  has  done  as  much  as  any  one  thing, 
during  the  past  two  or  three  years,  to  bring  the  university  into  National 
prominence  as  a  builder  of  virile  and  patriotic  young  manhood. 


CHAPTEK  XI 
TOWNSHIP  AND  CITY  OF  CHAMPAIGN 

PIONEER  SETTLERS  AT  AND  NEAR  CHAMPAIGN — HOME  FRUIT  FARM 

AND  THE  DUNLAPS FlRST  ADDITIONS  TO  THE  EAILROAD  TOWN— 

FIRST  BUILDINGS  ERECTED — FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  ORGAN- 
IZED— THE  FAMOUS  "GOOSE  POND"  CHURCH — '^LITTLE  BRICK" 

SCHOOLHOUSE ADDITIONAL  IMPORTANCE  (1855) BANK  FOUNDED 

IN  WEST  UHBANA — VILLAGE  AND  CITY  ORGANIZATIONS  VOTED — 
PROGRESS  AND  SETBACKS — COMMISSION  FORM  OF  GOVERNMENT 
ADOPTED — MAYORS  OF  CHAMPAIGN — THE  CHAMPAIGN  PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS — HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT — PERSONNEL  OF  THE  BOARDS  OF 
EDUCATION — THE  TEACHING  FORCE — THE  BURNHAM  ATHAENEUM 
— CITY  HALL — PROTECTION  AGAINST  FIRE — WATER  SUPPLY  AND 
DISTRIBUTION — SANITARY  SEWERAGE  SYSTEM — PARKS  AND  BREATH- 
ING PLACES — CEMETERIES — THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH — 
FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH — THE  FIRST  METHODIST  EPISCO- 
PAL CHURCH — EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH — ST.  PETER'S 
EVANGELICAL  CHURCH — ST.  MARY'S  EOMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH — 
FATHER  A.  J.  WAGNER — ST.  JOHN'S  PARISH — HOLY  CROSS  PARISH — 
FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH — EMMANUEL  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH — BENEV- 
OLENT AND  CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS — UNITED  CHARITIES  ASSOCIA- 
TION OF  CHAMPAIGN  AND  URBANA — JULIA  F.  BURNHAM  HOSPITAL — 
GARWOOD  HOME  FOR  OLD  LADIES — YOUNG  WOMEN'S  CHRISTIAN 
LEAGUE — THE  DORCAS  SOCIETY — WOMEN'S  CLUBS — THE  ART  AND 
THIRTY  CLUBS — SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CLUB  OF  THE  TWIN  CITIES — THE 
CHAMPAIGN  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CLUB — WOMAN'S  CLUB  OF  CHAMPAIGN 
AND  URBANA — CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  COUNTRY  CLUB — THE  GRAND 
ARMY  POST — CHAMPAIGN  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE — LOCAL  BANKS 
— CHAMPAIGN  NEWSPAPERS — SECRET  AND  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES. 

The  township  of  Champaign  is  southwest  of  the  center  of  Champaign 
County,  and  as  it  is  not  in  the  Timber  Belt  had  to  await  development 
until  the  settlers  of  the  new  country  had  been  educated  to  the  idea  of 
improving  prairie  lands.  In  the  early  '40s  appeared  a  .brave  man,  who 
ventured  across  the  range  line  away  from  the  Big  Grove  to  make  his 
home  in  Township  19,  Range  8  east. 

365 


366  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

PIONEER  SETTLERS  AT  AND  NEAR  CHAMPAIGN 

In  1843  William  Phillips,  a  Methodist  preacher,  familiarly  called 
'•Billy  Phillips,"  located  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  Section  12,  now  not  far  from  First  Street,  Champaign.  John  S. 
Beasley  had  made  some  large  land  investments  in  the  township,  but 
it  remained  for  Elder  Phillips  actually  to  plant  a  home  on  the  prairie 
soil.  He  had  no  neighbor  for  about  five  years,  but  in  1848  James  Myers 
entered  forty  acres  in  Section  1,  adjoining  the  Phillips  home  to  the 
north,  and  both  tracts  are  now  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Cham- 
paign, as  well  as  the  pieces  entered  about  the  same  time  as  the  Myers 
farm  by  Moses  Moraine,  Eobert  Logan,  Thomas  Magee  and  Joseph 
Evans,  in  Sections  1,  12  and  13.  Col.  M.  W.  Busey's  purchases  of 
1849  were  in  Sections  12  and  14,  some  of  the  latter  lying  without 
the  city  limits.  In  1852  Barney  Kelley  entered  the  whole  of  Sec- 
tion 25,  about  a  mile  south  of  Champaign,  which  remained  his  home- 
stead until  his  death.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  Col.  W.  N.  Coler 
entered  about  1,500  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  the 
city.  Elias  Chester  of  Ohio,  the  father  of  E.  0.  and  E.  E.  Chester, 
in  1854  patented  lands  in  Sections  21  and  29,  three  or  four  miles 
southwest.  East  of  the  Chester  tracts  was  the  farm  opened  and  improved 
by  J.  B.  Phinney.  His  homestead  was  a  model  in  the  early  days,  its 
proprietor  became  an  influential  citizen  and  died  at  his  home  in  Cham- 
paign Township. 

HOME  FRUIT  FARM  AND  THE  DUNLAPS 

In  1856  Mathias  L.  Dunlap  purchased  a  large  tract  in  the  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  36,  just  north  of  the  Tolono  Township  line,  and  two 
years  afterward  opened  the  first  nursery  and  fruit  farm  operated  on 
scientific  principles  in  the  county.  He  protected  his  tree  nurseries  and 
his  orchards  with  belts  of  forest  trees,  and  finally  demonstrated  that  such 
enterprises  could  be  made  profitable  in  what  was  naturally  an  open 
prairie  country.  Mr.  Dunlap  had  had  a  business  training  in  young 
Chicago;  had  surveyed  much  of  Cook  and  DuPage  counties,  and  for 
years  before  coming  to  Champaign  had  been  prominent  in  the  politics 
of  Cook  County  and  the  State.  For  a  decade  he  had  also  been  engaged 
in  the  nursery  business  on  the  prairies  in  the  Chicago  neighborhood  and 
was  well  known  as  a  writer  for  the  agricultural  press.  For  twenty-two 
years  he  was  the  agricultural  editor  of  the  Chicago  Tribune;  was  editor" 
of  the  Illinois  Farmer  from  1860  to  1865  and  declined  the  position  of 
commissioner  of  agriculture  tendered  by  Lincoln.  The  location  of  the 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  367 

Illinois  Industrial  University  (now  the  University  of  Illinois)  was  due 
as  much  to  his  influence  and  labor  as  to  those  of  any  other  man,  and  he 
always  insisted  that  it  should  remain  purely  an  agricultural  college. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  of  the  university.  He 
raised  a  large  family,  like  a  wise  father,  and  died  at  his  home  near 
Savoy,  February  14,  1875.  Eural  Home  Fruit  Farm,  his  creation, 
since  so  wonderfully  developed  by  his  son,  Hon.  H.  M.  Dunlap,  has 
become  noted  throughout  the  United  States  for  its  wonderful  apples. 
II.  J.  Dunlap,  another  son,  has  become  unusually  prominent  as  an  editor 
and  promoter  of  horticultural  interests. 

i- 


SCENE  IN  THE  DUNLAP  ORCHARDS,  SAVOY 

About  the  time  that  M.  L.  Dunlap  located  in  the  township,  Frederick 
Beiser  opened  the  first  truck  farm  of  any  importance  and  for  years 
supplied  the  neighboring  territory  with  vegetables. 

FIRST  ADDITIONS  TO  THE  RAILROAD  TOWN 

With  the  opening  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  from  Chicago  in 
1854,  and  the  building  of  its  depot  two  miles  west  of  the  courthouse, 
the  least  prophetic  could  not  but  foresee  that  business  and  population 
were  bound  to  gravitate  to  that  locality.  Soon  afterward,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  T.  R.  Webber,  under  a  decree  of  the  Circuit  Court,  platted 


368  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

and  sold  that  portion  of  the  Busey  estate  between  First  and  Wright 
streets,  north  of  Springfield  Avenue,  while  the  Illinois  Central  platted 
what  is  now  the  main  business  portion  of  Champaign  in  the  vicinity  of 
Neil  and  First  streets,  on  what  is  now  West  University  Avenue,  known 
as  Farnam,  Clark  &  White's  Addition. 

In  what  is  now  the  west  side  of  the  city,  Farnam,  Clark  &  White 
made  an  addition  and  donated  fifteen  acres  for  a  public  park,  the  first 
in  the  county.  The  addition  was  platted  in  April,  1855,  in  the  name 
of  John  P.  White,  who  owned  a  third  interest  in  it.  His  partners, 
Jeffrey  A.  Farnam  and  Nathan  M.  Clark,  who  were  owners  of  the  other 
two-thirds,  were  Illinois  Central  engineers,  who  perhaps  did  not  wish 
to  be  prominently  known  in  the  matter.  This  may  also  account  for  the 
fact  that  a  monument  erected  in  what  has  since  been  developed  into 
the  City  Park,  or  White  Park,  on  West .  University  Avenue,  gives  the 
credit  of  the  gift  to  Mr.  White  alone. 

FIRST  BUILDINGS  ERECTED 

In  the  early  spring  of  1854,  shortly  before  the  first  train  over  the 
Central  pulled  in  from  Chicago,  Mark  Carley  erected  the  first  dwelling 
upon  the  new  town  site,  and  moved  his  family  into  it  from  Urbana.  It 
is  reported  that  he  moved  in  something  which  caused  more  excitement 
than  his  family — a  piano,  grand  or  otherwise,  but  the  pioneer  of  its 
kind  in  the  county  and  sole  possessor  of  the  glory  for  some  time.  A 
rough  wooden  building,  or  shed,  had  been  erected  at  First  South  and 
Market  streets,  and  on  October  10,  1854,  John  C.  Baddeley  opened  the 
first  general  store  on  North  Neil  Street.  He  was  appointed  postmaster 
in  the  following  year  and  combined  his  light  official  duties  with  the 
heavier  responsibilities  of  business. 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  ORGANIZED 

The  religious  bodies  of  the  young  town  had  obtained  a  foothold 
earlier,  if  anything,  than  any  other  of  its  institutions.  In  the  fall  of 
1850  Eev.  John  A.  Steele,  under  authority  of  the  Presbytery  of  Pales- 
tine (which  then  had  jurisdiction  over  this  county),  organized  a  church, 
the  membership  of  which  was  largely  drawn  from  settlers  in  the  western 
sections  of  the  Sangamon  Timber.  Soon  after  the  building  of  the 
Illinois  Central  and  the  founding  of  West  Urbana,  to  better  accommo- 
date its  scattered  members,  services  were  held  in  the  new  depot  building. 
Sunday  trains  were  not  then  running.  A  church  building  was  erected 
in  1855  upon  the  present  site  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  369 

THE  FAMOUS  "GoosE  POND"  CHURCH 

The  First  Congregational  Church  was  organized  mostly  by  those 
living  in  the  town  of  Urbana  in  the  fall  of  1853.  Rev.  W.  W.  Blanchard 
was  its  first  pastor.  This  church  likewise  changed  its  location  to  West 
Urbana,  and  was  for  years  known  and  loved  as  the  Goose  Pond  Church. 
In  1855-56  the  house  of  worship,  which  was  the  scene  of  many  notable 
meetings,  was  erected  at  the  northwest  corner  of  University  Avenue 
and  First.  While  Lincoln  was  coming  into  notice  as  a  circuit  lawyer 
and  an  Illinois  politician,  especially  while  he  was  bearding  the  Little 
Giant  in  the  open,  he  often  spoke  in  the  Goose  Pond  Church.  It  is  of 
record,  for  instance,  that  he  addressed  the  citizens  of  West  Urbana  in 
June,  1856,  and  September,  1858.  An  emergency  meeting  was  held  in 
the  little  church  in  October,  1856,  to  provide  for  Dr.  Blanchard's  salary, 
and  the  proud  report  of  the  committee  was  that  "$350  and  a  yoke  of 
oxen  were  raised,  and  this,  too,  within  the  membership  of  the  church." 
In  the  spring  of  1858  meetings  were  held  to  organize  the  Young  Men's 
Literary  Association  and  the  school  commissioners  of  the  township  dis- 
cussed the  advisability  of  establishing  public  schools  for  "both  sides  of 
the  track."  In  December,  1859,  a  largely  attended  gathering  was  held 
in  the  Goose  Pond  Church  in  memory  of  John  Brown. 

"LITTLE  BRICK"  SCHOOLHOUSE 

Sharing  the  honors  with  the  Goose  Pond  Church  in  these  early  days 
was  the  "Little  Brick,"  or  the  public  school  of  District  No.  1,  corner  of 
Hill  and  Randolph,  the  site  of  the  present  Central  School.  Dr.  R.  W. 
Shoemaker  and  his  wife  had  taught  a  private  school  in  the  little  frame 
building  just  west  of  First  Street,  on  University  Avenue,  but  the 
Little  Brick  was  the  first  public  school.  The  site  was  given  by  J.  P. 
White  for  the  purpose,  and  the  structure  was  completed  in  1855.  It 
was  west  of  the  Illinois  Central  tracks,  which,  for  several  years,  consti- 
tuted the  base  line  by  which  every  landmark  was  located.  It  was  in 
the  Little  Brick  that  the  caucus  was  held  in  May,  1858,  which  decided 
"No  License"  for  West  Urbana  by  a  majority  of  forty-eight.  There, 
also,  in  January,  1860,  the  charter  members  of  the  Urbana  Street  Rail- 
way met  to  organize.  In  the  following  month  a  rousing  mass  meeting 
was  held  in  the  Little  Brick  to  decide  upon  the  name  for  the  proposed 
city.  Dr.  J.  W.  Scroggs  moved  the  old  name  of  the  Illinois  Central 
station,  West  Urbana,  be  retained,  but  Dr.  J.  P.  Gauch's  amendment 
that  it  be  changed  to  Champaign  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  36  to  21. 
And  so  it  has  remained  to  this  day.  Other  momentous  occasions  con- 

1 — 24 


370  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

nected  with  local  history,  too  numerous  to  enumerate,  had  their  settings 
in  the  Little  Brick. 

ADDITIONAL  IMPORTANCE  (1855) 

The  year  1855  was  filled  with  events,  aside  from  the  building  of 
No.  1  schoolhouse.  Robert  B.  Smith  &  Brother  opened  the  first  drug 
store,  McLaurie  &  Leal  the  first  stove  and  tin  store,  Dr.  H.  C.  Howard 
erected  a  steam  flouring  mill  at  Main  and  Walnut  streets,  Mark  Carley 
built  a  warehouse,  L.  S.  and  W.  E.  Smith  established  a  lumber  yard, 
Henry  C.  Whitney  moved  from  Urbana  as  the  pioneer  resident  lawyer, 
and  John  Mills  superseded  Mr.  Baddeley  as  postmaster,  who  moved  the 
office  to  the  east  side  of  the  Illinois  Central  tracks.  In  August  of  that 
year,  less  than  eighteen  months  after  the  building  of  the  first  residence 
at  the  station,  a  census  was  taken  by  the  State  authorities  of  the  people 
occupying  the  platted  sections  and  it  was  found  that  there  was  a  popula- 
tion of  416  at  West  Urbana. 

BANK  FOUNDED  IN  WEST  URBANA 

For  some  time  after  West  Urbana  was  started  the  east  side  of  the 
track  had  the  postoffice  and  business  honors,  as  well  as  the  Grand 
Prairie  Bank.  But  in  June,  1856,  a  branch  of  that  concern  was  opened 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Oak  streets.  Until  the  bank  build- 
ing was  completed  at  University  Avenue  and  First  Street,  the  cash  of 
the  bank  was  carried  daily  to  the  main  bank  at  Urbana.  At  the  com- 
pletion of  the  new  building,  the  business  at  West  Urbana  was  continued 
as  the  Cattle  Bank. 

VILLAGE  AND  CITY  ORGANIZATIONS  VOTED 

In  January,  1857,  the  school  census  indicated  357  children  of  school 
age,  and  a  total  population  of  1,202,  and  on  the  following  27th  of  April 
a  village  organization  was  voted,  under  the  name  of  West  Urbana. 
The  members  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  were:  E.  T.  McCann  (presi- 
dent), John  W.  Baddeley,  A.  M.  Whitney,  J.  J.  Sutton  and  J.  P. 
Gauch. 

In  April,  1860,  the  people  of  Champaign  (the  new  name  having  been 
adopted  in  February)  voted  in  favor  of  municipal  government,  and  the 
city  was  organized,  under  a  special  charter,  under  the  name  of  Cham- 
paign. As  the  postoffice  and  railroad  station  had  been  changed  accord- 
ingly, the  transformation  from  West  Urbana  was  made  quite  secure. 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  371 

PROGRESS  AND  SETBACKS 

As  has  been  made  plain  in  the  preceding  chapter,  Champaign  bore 
herself  with  honor  during  the  trying  times  of  the  Civil  War,  being 
first  in  the  county  to  make  a  practical  response  to  the  call  for  troops, 
and  sending  forth  for  more  than  four  years  the  best  of  her  men  both 
into  the  ranks  of  the  soldiery  and  as  able  and  brave  leaders  at  the  very 
front.  During  that  period,  in  the  fall  of  1863,  a  crude  street  car  line 
was  built  between  Champaign  and  TJrbana,  but  it  was,  on  the  whole,  no 
proper  time  for  the  consideration  of  local  advantages,  and  such  develop- 
ments therefore  languished.  The  city  had  barely  recovered  from  the 
drain  upon  its  best  citizenship  and  financial  resources  before  a  destructive 
fire  destroyed  some  of  the  most  valuable  property  within  its  limits.  On 
July  4,  1868,  almost  the  entire  square  bounded  by  Main  and  Taylor 
streets  on  the  north  and  south,  and  by  Market  and  Walnut  on  the  east 
and  west,  was  burned  over.  As  the  first  volunteer  fire  company  had  been 
organized  but  the  year  before,  little  was  accomplished  to  stay  the  destruc- 
tion. 

As  the  years  went  by,  however,  the  scars  were  healed,  as  well  as 
those  caused  by  destructive  fires  of  later  years,  and  even  a  better  class 
of  buildings  followed.  The  interurban  system  between  Champaign  and 
TJrbana  was  built  and  connections  made  with  the  sections  of  the  Illinois 
Traction  System  to  the  east  and  to  the  west,  as  has  been  fully  .detailed 
in  the  chapter  on  transportation.  Systems  for  both  the  drawing  and 
distribution  of  water  and  for  the  sanitary  drainage  of  the  city  were 
founded  and  perfected,  the  latter  being  especially  indebted  to  Prof.  A.  N. 
Talbot,  sanitary  engineer  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

In  the  development  of  the  city  of  Champaign  much  credit  is  also 
freely  given  to  the  manifold  influences  emanating  from  the  great  uni- 
versity at  its  doors,  and  which,  in  turn,  looks  for  so  many  necessities 
and  pleasures  to  the  western  member  of  the  Twin  Cities. 

COMMISSION  FORM  OF  GOVERNMENT  ADOPTED 

For  a  period  of  fifty-seven  years  the  city  of  Champaign  was  con- 
ducted under  an  aldermanic  form  of  government,  but  on  February  20, 
1917,  the  people  took  a  referendum  vote  on  the  proposition  to  change  it 
to  the  commission  system.  It  carried  by  a  majority  of  285.  The  vote 
for  the  change  was  719  men  and  589  women,  a  total  of  1,308 ;  against, 
786  men  and  237  women,  or  a  total  of  1,023.  On  April  17th,  the  first 
city  election  was  held  under  the  changed,  or  commission,  form  of  gov- 
ernment, with  the  result  that  S.  C.  Tucker  was  chosen  mayor,  and  H.  B. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  373 

Eamey,  George  J.  Babb,  George  B.  Franks  and  J.  T.  Boland  the  first 
board  of  commissioners. 

MAYORS  OF  CHAMPAIGN 

The  successive  mayors  of  Champaign  have  been  as  follows :  E.  T. 
McCann,  1860;  D.  Gardner,  1861;  J.  S.  Wright,  1862-63;  E.  L.  Sweet, 
1864-65;  C.  E.  Larned,  1866-68;  C.  B.  Smith,  1869-70;  J.  Dickerson, 
1873-75,  1879;  Henry  Trevett,  1876-79;  B.  C.  Beach,  1880,  1885,  1886; 
L.  S.  Wilcox,  1881,  1882,  1887,  1888;  J.  B.  McKinley,  1883;  W.  A. 
Day,  1883,  1884;  Levi  Dodson,  1872;  Sandford  Richards,  1874;  P.  W. 
Woody,  1889,  1890;  J.  B.  Harris,  1891-94;  C.  J.  Sabin,  1899,  1900; 
E.  E.  Chester,  1895,  1896;  C.  J.  Mullikin,  1901,  1902;  J.  R.  Scott, 
1897,  1898;  E.  S.  Swigart,  1903,  1904;  S.  C.  Tucker,  1909;  William 
Coughlin,  1911-13;  Shields  A.  Blain,  1905-08;  0.  B.  Dobbins,  1914, 
1915;  E.  S.  Swigart,  1916,  1917;  S.  C.  Tucker,  1917-. 

The  term  of  office  of  the  newly-elected  officials  commenced  on  the 
1st  of  May  and  will  conclude  two  years  from  that  date.  While  under 
the  commission  form  of  government  the  candidates  are  elected  ordinarily 
for  a  period  of  four. years,  at  Champaign  the  election  occurred  at  the 
close  of  two  years  of  a  quadrennial  period,  leaving  two  years  as  a  hold- 
over. The  next  candidates  will  be  elected  for  the  full  term  of  four 
years. 

THE  CHAMPAIGN  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

These  are  not  city  but  district  schools.  School  District  No.  71, 
Champaign  County,  Illinois,  is  a  corporate  body  independent  of  the  city 
government,  managed  under  the  school  laws  of  the  State  by  a  board  • 
of  six  members  elected  two  each  year  for  three-year  terms,  with  a  presi- 
dent elected  annually  who  has  the  usual  powers  of  a  presiding  officer 
and  a  vote  in  case  of  a  tie. 

The  territory  of  the  district  includes  parts  of  Townships  19-8  and 
19-9,  nine  and  seven-eighths  sections,  about  6,320  acres.  This  takes  in 
all  of  the  territory  of  the  city  of  Champaign  and  considerable  tracts 
lying  outside  of  the  city. 

This  Champaign  school  district  had  in  operation  during  the  school 
year  1916-17  a  high  school  enrolling  690  students,  with  28  high  school 
instructors,  and  58  elementary  schools  enrolling  2,141  pupils,  housed  in 
nine  buildings,  with  58  regular  teachers  and  five  teachers  in  charge  of 
special  work.  An  attendance  officer,  a  school  nurse,  a  superintendent 
of  buildings  and  grounds,  a  clerk,  a  librarian,  an  engineer,  a  dozen 
janitors,  a  cafeteria  manager,  with  the  superintendent  of  schools  in  gen- 


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HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  375 

eral  charge  of  all  educational  plans  and  activities,  also  belong  to  the  list 
of  employes.  The  schools  employ  a  great  many  more  workers  and 
requires  in  the  most  of  them  a  much  higher  grade  of  preparation  and 
personal  fitness  for  the  work  than  does  any  other  governmental  agency 
affecting  the  same  population.  They  also  render  direct  personal  service 
to  a  much  larger  number. 

In  administering  this  system  there  is  never  any  cessation  of  the  effort 
to  improve  in  every  way  possible  the  excellence  of  the  instructors,  of 
the  facilities  for  instruction,  of  the  courses  of  study  and  of  the  general 
plans  and  purposes  of  school  management.  Progress  is  sought  in  every 
direction  in  which  progress  has  been  proved  to  be  safe  and  beneficial, 
so  far  as  the  limitations  imposed  by  revenue  conditions  and  by  the  forces 
of  tradition  in  the  community  permit.  It  is  the  purpose  to  make  both 
the  elementary  and  the  high  school  education  such  as  will  be  most  useful 
to  the  pupils  and  to  the  State  in  their  future  activities  as  citizens. 
While  no  superlative  excellence  is  claimed,  it  is  the  endeavor  to  keep 
the  schools  up  to  the  standard  proper  for  this  educational  center  of  Illi- 
nois. The  high  school  is  accredited  to  the  University  of  Illinois,  to  all 
colleges  of  the  North  Central  Association  and  to  Smith,  Wellesley  and 
Mount  Holyoke. 

Every  high  school  should,  first  of  all,  serve  its  own  community,  as 
well  as  the  state  at  large,  by  giving  to  its  pupils  what  they  are  likely 
really  to  need  in  life.  The  special  plans  of  each  high  school  should  be 
shaped  by  its  environment.  The  fact  that  the  University  of  Illinois 
is  so  large  a  part  of  the  local  environment  in  Champaign  that  about  two- 
thirds  of  our  high  school  graduates  enter  that  institution  makes  prepara- 
tion for  college  of  greater  importance  here  than  in  most  high  schools; 
but  the  needs  of  the  other  third  are  not  neglected,  commercial,  agricul- 
tural, domestic,  mechanical  and  scientific  courses  adapted  to  their  prac- 
tical needs  being  maintained,  as  well  as  those  in  language,  literature, 
history  and  government,  which  are  also  useful  in  a  broad  sense  to  all 
intelligent  citizens. 

The  annual  official  reports  sent  back  each  year  to  all  high  schools 
give  the  gratifying  information,  in  the  case  of  the  Champaign  High 
School,  that,  though  it  is  plain  that  graduates  of  this  school  of  a  general 
average  of  ability  come  into  competition  with  a  small  percentage  of 
chosen  graduates,  they  not  only  keep  their  university  scholarship  records 
up  to  the  general  average  of  their  university  classes  but  raise  it  noticeably 
above  that  average.  This  can  be  the  result  only  of  greater  native  ability 
in  Champaign  youth  or  of  better  preparation.  The  reader  may  draw 
one  or  the  other  conclusion. 


376  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

The  schools  plan,  in  general,  to  serve  the  needs  of  the  children  of 
the  present  generation  and  of  the  state  in  the  near  future  by  preparing 
those  children  for  the  demands  of  that  future,  so  far  as  the  foresight 
of  instructors  makes  this  possible  and  the  choices  of  courses  made  by 
pupils  and  their  parents  are  wisely  made  with  respect  to  the  particular 
abilities  and  purposes  of  the  individual  pupils.  In  the  elementary 
schools,  a  general  training  is  given  in  the  fundamental  knowledge  and 
skills  believed  to  be  serviceable  in  life  to  all  citizens.  In  the  high  school, 
a  considerable  variety  of  work  leading  to  different  vocational  ends  is 
offered,  the  various  curricula  providing,  as  already  suggested,  so  far  as 
time  of  preparation  and  the  age  of  pupils  makes  possible,  either  for 
early  entrance  into  occupations  or  for  taking  up  higher  education. 

The  schools  of  Champaign  were  among  the  early  pioneers  in  the 
development  of  courses  in  manual  training  and  household  arts  and 
science  and  in  recent  years  these  courses  have  been  brought  up  to  a 
rank  equal  with  that  of  any  other  arts  and  sciences  in  the  curricula  by 
offering  courses  in  woodworking,  mechanical  drawing,  clothing,  foods, 
etc.,  requiring  an  equivalent  amount  of  time  and  study  with  other  full 
courses. 

In  the  nursing  service,  Champaign  has  long  passed  the  stage  at  which 
the  value  and  necessity  of  such  work  is  questioned.  In  the  field  of  the 
attendance  officer,  a  highly  serviceable  and  quite  unusual  system  for 
securing  the  co-operation  of  school  and  home  forces  for  the  educational 
and  moral  welfare  of  pupils  has  been  worked  out.  Special  teachers  of 
art  and  music  lead  the  pupils  into  appreciation  and  power  in  these 
refining  elements  of  education.  Three  special  teachers  are  assigned 
to  the  task  of  assisting  and  directing  pupils  who,  for  any  reason,  need 
help.  In  this  way,  the  individual  pupils  are  enabled,  except  in  extreme 
cases,  to  keep  up  with  their  regular  classes  with  great  advantage  to  them- 
selves and  with  economy  to  the  schools  thus  saved  from  giving  two  years 
for  one  grade. 

The  cost  of  the  present  high  school  building  has  been  about  $300,000 
and  its  equipment  $12,000;  while  the  investment  in  the  elementary 
school  buildings  totals  over  $350,000  and  their  furnishings  about  $10,000. 
The  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  district  being  $214,000,  the  people  thus 
have  a  paid-up  investment  of  not  far  from  $500,000  in  their  school 
property.  Champaign  has  always  believed  the  education  of  its  children 
a  good  investment. 

The  increased  cost  of  living  and  of  building  in  recent  years  have 
increased  the  difficulty  of  the  financial  problems  of  the  schools,  espe- 
cially, as  assessed  valuations  have  not  increased  so  rapidly.  Neverthe- 
less, the  elementary  and  a  high  school  enrolling  double  the  normal 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  377 

number  for  a  community  of  the  population  of  Champaign  have  both 
been  maintained,  and  much  paid  on  buildings  on  the  3  per  cent  tax 
rate,  though  most  communities  maintaining  separate  elementary  schools 
and  township  high  schools  find  it  necessary  to  make  the  total  rate  4  per 
cent,  or  higher. 

The  disbursements  for  the  year  1916-17  were  $129,644.79  and  for 
the  year  1915-16  $178,164.36,  including  considerable  payments  on  the 
new  high  school  building. 

The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  different  schools  during  the 
year  1916-17  was  as  follows:  Columbia,  158;  Gregory,  294;  Central, 
247;  Avenue,  266;  Dr.  Howard,  165;  Lincoln,  283;  Colonel  Wolfe,  276; 
Marquette,  309;  Lawhead,  143;  High  School,  690. 

In  the  Columbia  and  Lawhead  buildings  no  grades  above  the  fourth 
were  taught;  in  the  Gregory  and  Lincoln  buildings,  all  grades  including 
the  sixth;  in  the  Dr.  Howard,  Avenue,  Colonel  Wolfe  and  Marquette 
buildings,  all  grades  including  the  seventh;  while  the  Central  had  two 
seventh  grade  schools  and  five  eighth  grade  groups,  instructed  under  the 
departmental  plan. 

By  the  school  census  finished  June  30th  by  Mr.  Charles  Gooding, 
the  total  number  of  residents  in  the  district  was  shown  to  be  17,427, 
9,374  males  and  8,053  females.  Of  these  16,344  were  white  and  1,083 
colored;  16,859  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city  of  Champaign 
and  568  outside  of  those  limits;  9,384  west  of  First  Street  and  8,043 
east.  The  total  number  of  school  age,  that  is,  between  six  and  twenty- 
one,  was  4,738,  2,709  males  and  2,029  females.  The  enrollment  in  the 
public  schools  is  about  60  per  cent  of  the  whole  number  of  school  age. 

HISTORICAL  ACCOUNT 

The  first  school  in  West  Urbana,  now  Champaign,  was  taught  by 
Mrs.  Shoemaker,  the  wife  of  the  first  physician  in  the  village,  now 
Mrs.  Susan  Jefferson,  residing  at  901  West  Church  Street  with  her 
brother,  Judge  C.  C.  Staley.  In  a  letter  from  Wenatchee,  Washington, 
where  she  is  now  (July,  1917)  visiting  relatives,  she  states  that  this 
school  was  taught  by  herself  in  a  two-room  frame  building,  the  residence 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Shoemaker,  situated  on  East  Main  and  First  streets, 
just  east  of  the  old  Doan  House.  The  school  was  held  in  the  front 
room.  It  was  a  private  school  and  each  pupil  furnished  his  own  seat 
and  desk.  Among  the  pupils  she  remembers  were  C.  F.  Columbia, 
Willis  and  William  Jefferson,  sons  of  H.  Jefferson,  afterward  her  second 
husband,  and  members  of  the  Myers  family. 

Mrs.  Jefferson  is  at  the  present  time  also  the  oldest  living  member 


378 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  with  which  she  united  at  or  soon 
after  its  organization. 

Brink's  History  of  Champaign  County,  1878,  reports  that  the  second 
school  was  taught  by  Howard  Pixley,  on  the  West  Side,  in  a  house  occu- 
pied by  Joshua  Dickerson. 

Mrs.  F.  A.  Parsons  of  Chanute,  Kansas,  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  C.  G. 
Lamed,  who  was  county  superintendent  from  1877  to  1881,  reports  an 
early  private  school  taught  by  Misses  Mary  and  Anna  Ayers  in  their 
home,  who  emphasized  kindness  to  animals  quite  in  the  modern  spirit; 


FIRST  SCHOOL  ix  CHAMPAIGN 

also  one  taught  by  a  Miss  McAllister  and  another  taught  in  a  room 
above  one  of  the  stores  between  Walker's  furniture  store  and  Eugg's  shoe 
store. 

As  the  Illinois  law  on  which  our  present  state-wide  system  of  free 
schools  is  based  was  passed  in  1855,  the  first  school  districts  were  doubt- 
less organized  at  that  time,  No.  1  west  of  First  Street  and  No.  2  east 
of  it. 

The  first  public  school  building  in  District  No.  1,  long  designated 
as  the  Little  Brick,  was  built  in  1855,  on  the  corner  of  Randolph  and 
Hill,  the  site  being  donated  by  J.  P.  White.  It  cost  $4,000  and  an  addi- 
tion afterward  made  cost  $2,000.  This  was  for  a  number  of  years  the 
only  school  building  in  District  No.  1. 

Beginning  in  1868,  the  second  building  in  this  district  was  erected 
at  the  location  of  the  present  Avenue  building  on  a  site  bounded  by 
Lynn,  University  and  Park,  this  also  being  donated  by  J.  P.  White.  It 
was  a  quite  pretentious  brick  structure  of  three  stories  above  a  basement, 
costing  about  $80,000.  It  was  occupied  in  1870  and  was  known  as  the 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


379 


West  High  School  until  its  destruction  by  fire  in  1893.  In  1871, 
Lathrop's  Directory  of  Champaign  County  says  of  this  building,  "One 
more  complete  in  all  its  appointments,  in  rooms,  finish  and  furniture, 
cannot  be  found  in  the  West." 

The  first  public  school  building  in  District  No.  2  stood  on  the  site  of 
what  afterward  became  the  Marquette  building.  A  frame  schoolhouse 
was  erected  in  1860  at  a  cost  of  $7,200.  In  1868  the  schools  were 
graded.  In  1869  the  building  was  remodeled  and  enlarged,  bringing 
the  cost  to  $15,000,  and  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1870. 

A  new  frame  building  was  dedicated  in  August,  1871,  and  completely 
destroyed  by  fire  December  4,  1871,  and  a  third  building  erected  in  1872. 
This  was  first  known  as  the  East  High  School  building  and  later  as  thp 


LITTLE  BRICK  SCHOOL 

Marquette  building.  It  was  used  until  1908,  was  closed  for  a  time  on 
account  of  unsafe  condition  and  was  remodeled  in  1910  at  a  cost  of  about 
$16,000  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  serviceable  buildings  in  the  district 
for  school  purposes.  In  1916  it  received  by  vote  of  the  district  an  addi- 
tion of  two  lots  to  its  playground  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  From  these  three 
houses  were  removed.  During  the  school  year  1916-17,  through  sub- 
scriptions made  by  the  Mothers'  Club  of  that  neighborhood,  it  received 
the  best  playground  equipment  in  the  district. 


380  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

As  early  as  1858  a  proposal  was  made  to  unite  Districts  No.  1  and 
No.  2;  but  No.  1  was  in  debt  for  its  first  building  and  No.  2  did  not 
wish  to  assume  a  part  of  that  responsibility ;  so  resolutions  were  adopted 
to  unite  the  two  districts  when  they  should  be  on  equal  terms  financially. 
That  condition  was  not  reached  until  1890;  but  on  the  28th  of  April 
of  that  year  the  two  districts  were  consolidated  as  Union  District  No.  6. 
This  name  was  changed  to  School  District  No.  71,  Champaign  County, 
in  1901,  and  a  small  change  of  boundary  was  made  on  the  northeast  in 
1907. 

Soon  after  the  formation  of  Union  District  No.  6,  it  was  decided  to 
place  a  new  high  school  building  nearer  to  the  center  of  population. 
Accordingly,  the  Little  Brick  was  torn  down  and  a  new  high  school  build- 
ing erected  on  its  site  in  1893.  This  was  enlarged  in  1905  and  important 
alterations  providing  laboratories  and  shops  were  made  in  1908,  making 
the  total  cost  of  the  building  about  $36,000.  Yet  it  was  soon  necessary 
to  lease  rooms  outside  to  accommodate  the  growth  of  the  school,  four 
teachers  being  thus  provided  with  class  rooms  for  two  or  three  years. 
This  building  was  last  used  for  high  school  purposes  in  1913-14,  its 
total  service  being  only  twenty-one  years.  It  is  now  known  as  the 
Central  School. 

In  the  same  year,  1893,  the  present  Avenue  School  building  was 
erected  to  replace  the  one  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  same  site.  It  cost 
about  $15,000. 

In  1894  the  Lincoln  School  was  erected  as  a  four-room  building  at 
a  cost  of  about  $7,000,  and  it  was  enlarged  to  an  eight-room  building  in 
1903  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  It  stands  northeast  of  the  intersection  of 
Healey  and  State  streets. 

Southeast  of  the  intersection  of  Church  and  Fifth  streets  the  Frances 
Willard  building  was  erected  in  1896  at  a  cost  of  $8,000.  It  is  a  four- 
room  building  and  has  not  been  used  since  the  remodeled  Marquette 
building  added  eight  rooms  in  1910.  With  comparatively  inexpensive 
repairs,  however,  it  will  be  available  to  provide  for  the  next  increase  of 
school  population  in  that  part  of  the  district. 

The  Gregory  building,  northwest  of  the  intersection  of  Columbia 
and  Randolph,  was  erected  in  1898  as  a  four-room  schoolhouse  and 
doubled  in  capacity  in  1903,  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $20,000. 

In  1905  the  four-room  Columbia  building  was  erected  northwest  of 
the  intersection  of  Neil  and  Beardsley  at  a  cost  of  $9,200,  and  the  eight- 
room  Colonel  Wolfe  building,  southeast  of  the  intersection  of  Healey  and 
Fourth,  at  a  cost  of  $17,696. 

In  1907  the  four-room  Harriet  Lawhead  building  was  erected,  north- 


FIHST  CHAMPAIGN  HIGH  SCHOOL  (West  Side) 


FIRST  EAST  SIDE  HIGH  SCHOOL 


382  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

west  of  the  intersection  of  Fifth  and  Grove,  at  a  cost  of  $14,000.  This 
building  was  paid  for  in  cash,  no  bonds  being  issued. 

In  1910,  at  the  same  time  the  Marquette  building  was  remodeled, 
that  of  the  Dr.  H.  C.  Howard  School,  a  four-room  structure,  the  first 
approximately  fireproof  school  building  in  Champaign,  was  built  on  a 
site  east  of  James  Street  between  University  and  Park  avenues  at  a  cost 
of  $18,000. 

In  1912  a  new  site  for  a  high  school  was  purchased  north  of  Green 
Street  between  State  and  Prairie.  In  1913  a  structure  designed  to 
accommodate  a  high  school  of  1,000  pupils  was  begun  on  this  site  and 
it  was  ready  for  use  in  October  of  1914.  It  is  believed  that  no  city  of  no 
larger  population  than  Champaign  has  a  larger  or  better  high  school 
building.  Its  construction  is  permanent.  It  is  an  architectural  orna- 
ment to  the  city  and  its  interior  arrangements  are  convenient,  sanitary 
and  in  every  way  well  adapted  to  its  purposes.  Its  auditorium,  seating 
an  audience  of  1,000,  its  swimming  pool  and  gymnasium,  its  laboratories 
and  shops,  its  cafeteria  and  many  other  features  place  it  among  the 
best  modern  structures.  Only  about  half  of  the  cost  of  the  building 
and  site  was  paid  by  bonds,  the  remaining  being  paid  in  cash  from 
current  taxation  during  four  or  five  years. 

The  necessity  for  such  a  building  as  the  present  one  is  seen  from 
the  enrollment  in  the  high  school,  which  was  as  follows:  1902,  254; 
1905,  313;  1911,  387;  1912,  478;  1913,  527;  1914,  585;  1915,  645; 
1916,  671;  1917,  690. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Hon.  W.  B.  McKinley,  a  large  athletic 
field  was  in  1912  donated  to  the  district.  McKinley  Field  is  located  just 
within  the  south  corporation  line  of  the  city  between  Pine  and  New 
streets  and  is  used  especially  by  the  high  school  students,  thousands  of 
spectators  sometimes  gathering  here  for  the  principal  athletic  games. 

PERSONNEL  OF  THE  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION 

Among  early  school  directors  in  District  No.  1,  Charles  Baddeley, 
J.  H.  Angel,  J.  S.  Beasley,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Smith  and  C.  F.  Columbia  are 
mentioned  as  serving  at  some  time  previous  to  1882.  There  must  have 
been  a  number  of  others. 

Beginning  about  1882,  records  show  the  membership  on  the  school 
board  of  District  No.  1  as  follows:  H.  Swannell,  1873-74  to  1885-86, 
inclusive ;  Mrs.  Bacon,  1882-83  to  1885-86,  incl. ;  M.  E.  Lapham,  1882-83 
to- 1883-86,  incl.;  G.  F.  Beardsley,  1882-83  to  1887-88,  incl.;  Mrs.  W.  S. 
Maxwell,  1882-83  to  1886-87,  incl.;  Dr.  F.  J.  Pearman,  1882-83  to 
1887-88,  incl.;  Mrs.  H.  H.  Harris,  1886-87  to  1889-90  incl.;  H.  W. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  383 

Mahan,  1886-87  to  -  -;  Ozias  Riley,  1886-87  to  1889-90,  incl.;  Mrs. 
Gish  Garwood,  April,  1887,  to  August,  1887;  P.  W.  Woody,  1887-88  to 
1889-90,  incl.;  E.  Snyder,  1887-88  to  1889-90,  incl.;  Dr.  C.  B.  Johnson, 
1888-89  to  1889-90,  inch;  Mrs.  A.  C.  Burnham,  1888-89  to  1889-90, 
incl.;  Col.  J.  W.  Langley,  1888-89  to  1889-90,  incl. 

Of  presidents  and  members  of  the  board  of  education  beginning  with 
the  consolidation  of  districts  in  1890,  the  list  is  complete,  as  follows: 

Presidents— George  F.  Beardsley,  1890-91  and  1891-92;  N.  Butler, 
1892-93;  John  L.  Ray,  1893-94;  Henry  Trevett,  1894-95,  1895-96  and 
1896-97;  Dr.  C.  B.  Johnson,  1897-98,  1898-99  and  1899-1900;  S.  P. 
Atkinson,  1900-01,  1901-02  and  1902-03;  John  N.  Beers,  1903-04, 
1904-05  and  1905-06;  F.  C.  Amsbary,  1906-07,  1907-08  and  1908-09; 
Dr.  W.  L.  Gray,  1909-10,  1910-11,  1911-12,  1912-13,  1913-14,  1914-15, 
and  1915-16;  Henry  W.  Berks,  1916-17,  1917-18. 

Membership,  1870-1917— F.  Dollinger,  1890-91  to  1892-93,  inclusive; 
Edward  Snyder,  1890-91  to  1892-93,  incl.;  R.  R.  Mattis,  1890-91  to 
1897-98,  incl.;  Mrs.  Marian  Healey,  1890-91  and  1891-92;  Dr.  C.  B. 
Johnson,  1890-91;  Mrs.  Mary  II.  Gere,  1890-91;  Henry  Trevett, 
1891-92  to  1893-94,  incl.;  Mrs.  J.  W.  Mulliken,  1891-92  to  1893-94, 
incl.;  Mrs.  S.  S.  Jones,  1892-93  to  1894-95,  incl.;  F.  IT.  Helbing,  1893-94 
to  1907-08,  incl.;  William  Williamson,  1893-94  to  1895-96,  incl.  Ozias 
Riley,  1894-95  to  1896-97,  incl.;  Mrs.  H.  J.  Pepper,  1894-95  to  1896-97, 
incl.;  Mrs.  H.  Swannell,  1895-96  to  1900-01,  incl.;  Dr.  W.  L.  Gray, 
1896-97  to  1907-08,  incl.;  G.  C.  Willis,  1897-98  to  1902-03,  incl.;  Mrs. 
S.  A.  Carnahan,  1897-98  to  1902-03,  incl.;  John  W.  Stipes,  1898-99  to 
1903-04,  inclusive;  Sarah  H.  Swigart,  1901-02  to  1903-04,  incl.;  I.  A. 
Jackson,  1903-04  to  1905-06,  incl.;  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Lee,  1903-04  to 
1908-09,  incl.;  Oren  L.  Percival,  1904-05  to  1906-07,  incl.;  Mrs.  Lucy 
W.  Wallace,  1904-05  to  1906-07,  incl.;  F.  J.  Akers,  1906-07  to  1908-09, 
incl.;  H.  S.  Capron,  1907-08  and  1908-09;  Mrs.  Florence  H.  Miller, 
1907-08  to  1909-10,  incl.;  C.  B.  Hatch,  1908-09  to  1910-11,  incl.; 
Dr.  R.  E.  Shurtz,  1908-09  to  1910-11,  incl.;  Mrs.  R.  D.  Burnham, 
1909-10  to  1914-15,  incl.;  John  W.  Armstrong,  1909-10  to  1911-12, 
incl.;  T.  E.  Smith,  1909-10  to  1915-16,  incl.;  Mrs.  F.  E.  Bainum, 
1910-11  to  -  -;  Dr.  B.  A.  Smith,  1911-12  to  1913-14,  incl.;  Robert 
Dimmer,  1911-12  to  -  -:  Ben.  Long,  1912-13  to  -  — ;  Mrs.  D.  P. 
Mclntyre,  1915-16  to  -  -;  Dr.  W.  E.  Schowengerdt,  1914-15  to  -  -; 
C.  D.  Brownell,  1916-17  to . 

THE  TEACHING  FORCE 
The  first  public  school  teacher,  beginning  work  in  the  Little  Brick 


CHAMPAIGN  HIGH  SCHOOL    (1893) 


CHAMPAIGN  HIGH  SCHOOL  (1913) 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  385 

was  probably  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Fletcher,  a  sister  of  Mark  Carly,  about 
1855  to  1857.  It  is  also  reported  in  Judge  Cunningham's  history  that 
Mrs.  Fletcher  came  from  a  southern  state  and  that  she  later  began  to 
conduct  a  young  ladies'  academy  in  the  building  vacated  by  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  1867.  Bunk's  history  says  she  was  the  third 
teacher  in  the  village  and  that  she  taught  in  the  First  Congregational 
Church,  her  recompense  coming  partly  from  the  public  funds  and  partly 
from  rate  bills.  About  1859,  there  were  two  teachers  named  Clark 
and  Wallace.  About  1860,  Truesdell  and  Miss  Mary  Ayers  were  the 
teachers.  In  the  year  1863-64  a  teacher  by  the  name  of  Havens  taught 
a  part  of  the  year  and  Miss  Harriett  Trevett  and  Miss  Mary  Marcy, 
afterward  Mrs.  Henry  Trevett,  finished  the  year,  Miss  Marcy  con- 
tinuing through  the  year  1866-67.  About  1865-66  J.  C.  Oliver  came 
in  and  Mrs.  Mary  Frisbie  as  a  third  teacher  in  charge  of  the  infant 
class.  Nellie  Angel,  Mary  McKinley,  now  Mrs.  E.  E.  Mattis,  Alice 
McKinley,  now  Mrs.  Conn,  Annie  Moore,  Harriet  Pratt,  Elizabeth  and 
Eebecca  Farson,  Irene  Beidler,  since  Mrs.  Eppstein,  Betty  Wrisk,  Miss 
Leonard,  Anna  Bradley,  now  Mrs.  E.  A.  Kratz,  and  Alice  Tuthill 
were  also  teachers  in  the  early  days. 

In  tracing  the  beginning  of  the  high  school  in  District  No.  1,  we 
find  Miss  Noyes  as  high  school  teacher  in  1880,  followed  by  Miss  Jane 
Elliott,  who  resigned  in  December  of  1882  and  was  replaced  by  Miss 
Andrews,  who  was  re-elected  as  "teacher  in  the  high  school"  in  1883, 
with  Hattie  Hall  as  assistant.  In  July  of  1884,  W.  S.  Hall  was  elected 
"teacher  for  the  high  school."  In  June  of  1887,  Hattie  Hall  was 
elected  "principal  of  the  high  school"  and  this  is  the  first  time  the 
term  "principal"  is  used  in  the  records.  In  this  year,  a  second  assist- 
ant in  the  high  school  was  first  employed. 

Edward  Bigelow  was  elected  principal  of  the  high  school  in  1889 
and  E.  F.  Adams  in  1890.  In  May  of  1891  it  was  ordered  that  Supt. 
E.  S.  Barton  should  act  as  principal  of  the  high  school  also  and  teach 
two  classes;  but  in  1892,  Miss  Lottie  Switzer  was  elected  principal  of 
the  high  school,  a  position  she  has  ever  since  held. 

Of  those  known  as  superintendents  of  schools  on  the  west  side,  J.  C. 
Oliver  was  probably  the  first,  followed  by  W.  H.  Lanning  and  he 
possibly  by  a  Mr.  Evans.  More  exact  information  concerning  these  is 
desired.  Definite  terms  of  service  of  the  following  are  on  record :  M. 
Moore,  1880-81  to  1890-91,  inclusive;  E.  S.  Barton,  1891-92  and 
1892-93;  C.  A.  Bowsher,  1893-94  to  1895-96  inclusive;  Joseph  Carter, 
1896-97  to  1905-06,  inclusive;  F.  D.  Haddock,  Aug.  1,  1906,  to  Feb. 
29,  1908;  W.  W.  Earnest,  March  1,  1908  to  

1—25 


THE  BURNHAM  ATHAENEUM 


THE  POSTOFFICE 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  387 

Principals  of  the  schools  in  District  No.  2  (East  Side  High  School) 
until  the  two  districts  were  united  are  given  as  follows:  Mr.  Scovell, 
1868-73;  W.  Water,  1873-74;  Miss  I.  C.  Childs,  1874-75;  Eugene 
DeBurn,  1875-80;  I.  L.  Betzer,  1880-83;  Mr.  Beed,  1883-84;  P.  K. 
McMinn,  1884-87;  E.  S.  Kyle,  1887-90. 

Of  the  East  High  School,  after  the  union  of  the  districts,  T.  A. 
Clark  was  principal  1890-91;  N.  A.  Weston,  1891-92  and  1892-93; 
S.  McGee,  1893-94. 

THE  BURNHAM  ATHAENEUM 

The  Burnham  Athaeneum,  or  public  library,  of  Champaign,  is  one 
of  the  city's  most  substantial  and  elevating  institutions.  From  a  manu- 
script history  which  has  recently  been  completed  by  Dr.  Edwin  A. 
Kratz  are  condensed  the  facts  which  follow.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  original  library  association  in  1868  and  custodian  of  its  few 
books;  secretary,  when  the  project  was  substantially  revived  in  1871; 
librarian  when  the  collection  was  given  to  the  city  in  1876;  director 
and  secretary  of  the  first  municipal  board;  secretary  when  the  library 
was  moved  to  the  city  building  in  1889;  held  the  same  position  when 
possession  was  taken  of  the  Burnham  Athaeneum  in  1896 ;  president 
of  the  board  when  the  children's  department  was  established,  and  acting 
secretary  when  the  first  printed  report  was  issued.  Dr.  Kratz  is  there- 
fore thoroughly  qualified  to  write  on  the  subject  of  the  Burnham 
Athaeneum. 

The  Champaign  Library  Association,  the  original  organization,  had 
its  inception  in  a  meeting  held  April  28,  1868,  at  the  office  of  T.  B. 
Sweet,  in  the  Barrett  Block.  There  were  present,  besides  Mr.  Sweet, 
Henry  Beardsley,  J.  S.  Lathrop,  A.  D.  Eads  and  George  M.  Noble. 
At  a  more  public  meeting,  May  7th,  the  association  was  formed  by 
twenty-six  members,  who  elected  George  Atherton,  president;  J.  S. 
Jones,  vice-president;  J.  S.  Lathrop,  treasurer,  and  Aaron  Beidler, 
librarian.  A  reading  room  was  soon  opened  on  the  second  floor  of 
No.  7  Main  Street,  having  been  secured  of  A.  C.  Burnham  at  a  nominal 
rental.  This  venture  was  a  failure,  the  few  books  collected  were  moved 
to  Dr.  Kratz's  office,  and  the  library  enterprise  went  into  a  deep  sleep. 
The  association  kept  alive  by  engaging  lecturers  of  renown  to  deliver 
addresses  before  the  Champaign  public,  using  the  proceeds  to  collect  a 
library  fund.  Incorporation  papers  were  filed  in  August,  1871.  New 
books  purchased,  the  collection  moved  to  the  second  floor  of  the  Gazette 
building,  and  the  library  feature  brought  again  to  the  front.  Editor 


388  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

George  Scroggs  acted  as  librarian,  and  the  books  remained  in  the 
Gazette  building  for  four  years.  The  Gazette  people  having  erected  a 
new  building,  the  library  was  transferred  to  Peterson's  book  store, 
temporarily,  and  permanently  to  Rugg's  shoe  store  on  North  Neil.  At 
this  period  there  were  700  volumes  in  the  library.  In  September,  1876, 
the  association  conveyed  its  property  to  the  city  on  condition  that  the 
municipality  appropriate  $1,000  annually  toward  the  support  of  the 
library. 

TJp  to  this  time  the  following  had  served  as  presidents:  1868,  G.  W. 
Atherton;  1869-70,  H.  Beardsley;  1871-72,  J.  C.  Conklin;  1873,  H.  C. 
Beach;  1874-76,  George  W.  Gere. 

Secretaries:  J.  S.  Lathrop,  1868;  W.  H.  Kratz,  1869-70;  E.  A. 
Kratz,  1871-75;  E.  T.  Whitcomb,  1876. 

Treasurers:  Aaron  Beidler,  1868;  E.  N.  McAllister,  1869-76. 

Librarians :  T.  B.  Sweet,  1868 ;  E.  V.  Peterson,  1869 ;  E.  A.  Kratz, 
1870;  George  Scroggs,  1871-75;  E.  A.  Kratz  (second  term),  1876. 

The  Champaign  Public  Library  and  Reading  Room  dates  back  to 
July  21,  1876.  On  September  8th  Mayor  Henry  Trevett  appointed 
its  first  board  of  directors — George  W.  Gere,  William  Bowen,  S.  L. 
Wilson,  I.  B.  Arnold,  E.  A.  Kratz,  F.  Dollinger,  H.  Swannell,  D.  A. 
Cheever  and  B.  C.  Beach.  About  a  week  later  Mr.  Gere  was  elected 
president  and  E.  A.  Kratz,  secretary;  in  October  the  deed  of  gift  was 
formally  accepted  by  the  city,  and  on  November  21,  1876,  the  second 
floor  of  No.  24  Main  Street  was  formally  opened  as  Champaign's  first 
Public  Library  and  Reading  Room.  The  public  exercises  were  held  in 
Barrett  Hall,  Hon.  Abel  Harwood  presiding.  The  library  remained  at 
the  location  mentioned  for  thirteen  years.  In  1889  it  was  transferred 
to  the  southwest  room  of  the  new  city  hall,  on  the  ground  floor,  and 
all  library  matters  looked  up.  At  this  period  the  collection  had 
increased  to  3,700  volumes.  After  several  requests,  the  city  council, 
in  1894,  increased  the  annual  appropriation  for  the  support  of  the 
library  to  $1,500. 

In  December  of  the  year  named  A.  C.  Burnham  announced  his 
generous  gift  of  $40,000  for  a  library  building  and  $10,000  as  an 
endowment  fund.  The  necessary  papers  were  drawn  up  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1895,  they  were  accepted  by  the  City  Council,  and  the  residence 
property  on  West  Church  Street  was  duly  conveyed  as  a  site  for  the 
Burnham  Athaeneum  and  the  Julia  F.  Burnham  Endowment  Fund 
provided  for,  in  honor  of  the  deceased  wife.  Without  following  all 
the  details,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  third  and  permanent  home  of 
the  library  was  publicly  opened  December  17,  1896.  The  exercises  were 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  389 

held  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Captain  T.  J.  Smith  acting  as  master 
of  ceremonies  and  the  building  being  presented  by  Mr.  Burnham's 
devoted  friend  and  legal  adviser,  George  W.  Gere. 

The  building,  as  it  stands,  presents  a  pleasing  exterior  of  light  gray 
brick.  The  entrance  is  between  two  massive  fluted  pillars,  reaching  to 
the  eaves,  with  the  Burnham  Athaeneum  engraved  on  the  entablature. 
The  main  floor  has  a  large  vestibule,  commodious  reading  and  magazine 
room,  reference  room,  offices,  etc.  On  the  second  floor  are  a  large 
auditorium  or  lecture  hall,  and  children's,  club  and  directors'  rooms. 
From  the  annual  report  of  the  board  of  directors  to  the  city  council 
for  the  year  ending  June  1,  1896,  when  the  library  occupied  the 
Athaeneum  building,  it  is  learned  that  the  total  number  of  volumes 
then  housed  was  18,356. 

In  1898  the  Mason  library  of  800  volumes  was  added,  through  the 
generosity  of  Benjamin  F.  Johnson,  and  in  September  of  the  follow- 
ing year,  the  children's  department  was  established.  A  branch  library 
was  permanently  founded  in  1903,  and  in  1907  it  was  established  in  the 
Marquette  school  building. 

The  annual  amount  appropriated  by  the  city  council  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  library  has  increased  from  $1,000  in  1876,  to  $1,500  in 
1895,  $2,400  in  1900,  and  $6,000  in  1916.  The  library  now  contains 
21,268  volumes. 

Since  1876  the  Public  Library  and  Burnham  Athaeneum  have  had 
the  following  officers: 

Presidents:  George  W.  Gere,  1876-80;  James  B.  Russell,  1880-89; 
Henry  F.  Aspern,  1889-93;  B.  C.  Beache,  1893-96;  Manford  Savage, 
1896-99;  Edwin  A.  Kratz,  1899-1906;  Henry  W.  Berks,  1906-10; 
Robert  D.  Burnham,  1910— 

Secretaries:  E.  A.  Kratz,  1876-93;  H.  S.  Capron,  1893-99;  W.  W. 
Maxwell,  1899-1905;  Miss  Ray  L.  Bowman,  1905-10;  Mrs.  J.  B.  Russell, 
1910-14;  William  F.  Woods,  1915— 

-  Treasurers  of  the  Endowment  Fund:  G.  N.  Cunningham,  1896-98; 
F.  H.  Lloyd,  1898-1903;  H.  W.  Berks,  1903-06;  R.  D.  Burnham, 
1906-09;  Miss  Ray  L.  Bowman,  1909-10;  William  M.  Honn,  1910-11; 
E.  A.  Kratz,  1911-14;  W.  F.  Woods,  1915— 

The  librarians  during  that  period  have  been :  Mrs.  M.  M.  Frampton, 
1876-83;  Mrs.  Annie  M.  Beidler,  1883-84;  Mrs.  M.  M.  Frampton, 
1884-90 ;  Mrs.  W.  A.  Plottner,  1890 ;  Miss  Nellie  C.  Kellogg,  1890-93 ; 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Frampton,  1893-96;  Miss  Anna  LeCrone,  1896-1901;  Miss 
Florence  E.  Carter,  1901-03;  Miss  Jeannette  Roberts,  1903-15;  Miss 
Ethel  G.  Kratz,  1915— 


390  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

THE  CITY  HALL 

The  City  Hall  building  housing  the  various  departments  of  the 
municipality,  and  containing  the  old  Council  chamber  and  accommoda- 
tions for  the  new  board  of  commissioners,  was  completed  in  1889.  It 
is  a  brick  building,  with  an  unimposing  tower,  standing  at  Neil  Street 
and  University  Avenue,  and  its  appearance  is  really  not  commensurate 
with  the  standing  of  Champaign  as  a  progressive  corporation  and  not 
up  to  the  standard  of  its  other  public  buildings. 

PROTECTION  AGAINST  FIRE 

The  city  of  Champaign  is  protected  against  fire  both  through  a 
modern  system  of  water  works  and  a  paid  department  of  ten  firemen. 
The  fire  apparatus  comprises  two  combination  chemical  and  hose 


CHAMPAIGN  AND  URBANA  WATER  WORKS 

wagons,  an  aerial  ladder  truck  and  a  modern  auto  engine.  John  Ely 
is  head  of  the  department,  which  is  housed  in  the  City  Hall  building, 
as  well  as  the  police  department,  under  A.  U.  Keller.  Additional  pro- 
tection against  fire  is  afforded  the  city  through  the  system  of  close 
co-operation  established  between  the  municipality  and  the  fire  depart- 
ments of  Urbana  and  the  University. 

WATER  SUPPLY  AND  DISTRIBUTION 

The  present  plant  of  the  Champaign  and  Urbana  Water  Company 
was  located  in  1884,  when  a  shaft  being  sunk  for  coal  struck  so  much 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  391 

water  at  a  depth  of  160  feet  that  the  shaft  could  be  continued  no 
further.  The  plant  was  completed  in  1885.  Active  in  the  organiza- 
tion and  construction  of  the  water  works  were  Henry  Trevett  and 
William  Day,  and  in  its  operation  afterward,  W.  B.  McKinley,  H.  H. 
Harris,  George  W.  Davidson,  M.  A.  Goff,  John  JST.  Beers  and  J.  S. 
Pollard.  In  1899  the  present  owners  took  charge,  namely:  W.  L. 
Prettyman,  president ;  F.  C.  Amsbary,  vice-president  and  manager,  and 
J.  B.  Prettyman,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  plant  and  pumping  station  at  Urbana  comprises  twenty-four 
deep  wells,  with  separate  heads.  The  supply  is  pumped  from  the  wells 
into  the  receiving  reservoir,  thence  through  the  iron  removal  filters 
to  the  two  clear-water  basins,  whence  it  is  forced  by  pumps  into  the 
eighty  miles  of  distributing  mains  supplying  the  cities  of  Champaign 
and  Urbana  with  2,000,000  gallons  of  water  daily. 

SANITARY  SEWERAGE  SYSTEM 

Besides  the  natural  surface  drainage  of  Champaign  and  Urbana, 
which  is  good,  the  Twin  Cities  have  two  complete  sanitary  sewerage 
systems.  There  are  about  thirty  miles  of  sewers  in  the  Champaign 
district  and  half  as  much  in  the  Urbana  district.  In  both  cases  the 
sewage  is  disposed  of  by  means  of  a  septic  tank  located  well  outside 
the  city  limits.  As  stated,  the  systems  were  devised  by  Professor  A. 
N.  Talbot,  head  of  the  department  of  Municipal  and  Sanitary  Engineer- 
ing, University  of  Illinois. 

PARKS  AND  BREATHING  PLACES 

Pleasant  parks  and  open  breathing  places  are  active  agents  in  the 
promotion  of  public  hygiene,  as  well  as  wisely-devised  water  and  sewer- 
age systems.  Although  not  crowded  or  besmirched,  as  are  so  many 
manufacturing  centers,  Champaign  has  its  creditable  parks.  City 
Park,  as  often  known  as  White  Park,  which  lies  along  West  University 
Avenue,  contains  nearly  thirteen  acres  in  the  main  church  district  and 
is  the  largest  and  most  finished  of  the  public  grounds.  It  is  named 
after  James  P.  White,  one  of  the  donors  of  the  original  site  and  like- 
wise a  generous  patron  of  the  public  schools.  Its  most  striking  deco- 
rative feature  is  the  fountain  near  the  center,  bearing  a  remarkable 
piece  of  statuary,  entitled  "The  Prayer  for  Rain,"  the  descriptive  verses 
of  Edward  Kemeys  being  chiseled  in  the  tablet  beneath. 

The  fountain  and  concrete  walks  around  it  were  the  gifts  of  B.  F. 


GENERAL  VIEW  IN  WHITE  PARK 


THE    PRAYER    FOR    RAIN 


. 
A  Horr  lit  fljmi  t.aS  >i..i»r. 


",f  I:!-  Ihr  bmr  tiw  . 
j»  oi  Jn>dii!i|  to.""!  jr  ji.ii 
,\m>  i  lltlml  »«»  raritt 


THE  JOHNSON  FOUNTAIN 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  393 

Johnson,  a  former  citizen  of  Champaign.  Easmus  B.  Anderson,  former 
minister  to  Denmark,  once  said  of  "The  Prayer  for  Rain,"  and  the 
fountain  as  a  whole,  that  it  was  one  of  the  most  artistic  productions  he 
had  seen  either  in  the  United  States  or  Europe. 

James  R.  Scott  donated  the  original  site  of  the  park  which  bears 
his  name,  on  East  Springfield  Avenue.  It  comprises  about  three  and 
a  half  acres.  Beardsley  park,  of  less  than  two  acres,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  city,  was  donated  in  the  raw  by  George  F.  Beardsley,  in 
1874. 

Washington  Park,  comprising  two  acres  south  of  the  student  district, 
was  platted  in  1905. 

CEMETERIES 

The  two  cemeteries  maintained  by  Champaign  are  Mount  Hope, 
on  Maple  Avenue  south  of  the  University,  and  Rose  Lawn,  at  South 
Fourth  and  the  city  limits. 

THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

The  founding  of  the  First  Presbyterian  and  the  First  Congrega- 
tionalist  churches  of  Champaign,  as  Urbana  institutions,  has  already 
been  described  as  a  salient  fact  in  the  founding  of  the  new  railroad 
town  itself.  As  the  Presbyterians  first  moved  their  headquarters  to 
West  Urbana  their  organization  is  entitled  to  precedence. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  in  September,  1850, 
with  only  eight  members.  It  was  organized  under  the  name  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Urbana.  At  that  time  Champaign  was 
unknown,  and  Urbana  was  only  a  village  of  some  twenty  houses. 
Services  were  held  in  the  courthouse  and  in  the  schoolhouse  in  Urbana 
until  1854,  when  they  began  to  hold  them  in  the  Illinois  Central  freight 
depot  in  Champaign.  In  that  same  year  lots  were  secured  and  in  1855 
the  first  church  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,700,  on  the  site  of 
the  present  church  building.  On  December  28,  1856,  a  colony  of  ten 
members  were  dismissed  from  this  church  and  organized  into  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  (N.  S.)  of  Urbana.  On  April  10,  1858,  another 
colony  of  forty-four  members  were  dismissed  and  organized  into  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Mahomet.  In  that  same  year  the  name 
of  the  church  was  changed  to  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  (0.  S.)  of 
West  Urbana.  When  the  name  was  changed  to  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Champaign  is  not  recorded.  The  present  church  building 
was  begun  in  1867,  but  was  not  completed  until  1869.  On  June  15, 


394  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

1874,  nine  members  were  dismissed  from  this  church,  in  order  that  they 
might  be  organized  into  the  Prairie  View  Presbyterian  Church.  The 
church  has,  therefore,  been  the  mother  of  three  other  Presbyterian 
churches. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  March,  1909,  the  present  building  was 
seriously  damaged  by  fire,  and  the  pipe  organ  then  in  use  almost  ruined. 
But  with  commendable  zeal  the  members  of  the  church  immediately 
set  about,  not  only  to  replace  the  damaged  portion  of  the  building,  but 
also  to  make  the  church  as  modern  as  possible.  An  addition  to  the 
old  building  was  built,  enlarging  the  kitchen  and  pastor's  study,  and 
providing  parlors  and  additional  rooms  for  Sunday  school. 

Between  1850  and  1858  the  church  was  served  by  four  ministers, 
viz.:  H.  F.  Bowen,  E.  H.  Lilly,  E.  K.  Lynn  and  Joseph  Platt.  Only 
one  of  these,  Rev.  E.  K.  Lynn,  was  installed  as  pastor.  The  Rev. 
George  McKinley  became  pastor  in  September,  1858,  and  continued 
until  February,  1870,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  ill  health.  He 
was  followed  by  the  Rev.  John  S.  Frame,  whose  pastorate  was  cut 
short  by  his  sudden  death,  October  13,  1874.  The  Rev.  A.  J.  Berger 
succeeded  to  this  work  in  January,  1875,  and  remained  as  pastor  until 
May,  1881,  when  he  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  ill-health. 
Then  came  the  long  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  C.  N.  Wilder,  D.  D.,  from 
October,  1881,  until  November,  1902.  The  Rev.  E.  W.  Clippinger 
began  his  pastorate  on  June  15,  1903,  and  resigned  May  1,  1911,  to 
accept  a  call  to  the  Tabernacle  Presbyterian  Church  in  Indianapolis, 
Indiana.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Chas.  Ryan  Adams,  D.D.,  began  his 
work  here  November  12,  1911,  and  the  church  has  a  membership  of 
about  750.  • 

FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

On  November  1,  1853,  a  little  colony  of  Congregationalists  residing 
in  Urbana  were  called  together  by  Rev.  W.  W.  Blanchard  and  organized 
into  the  First  Church  at  the  residence  of  Moses  P.  Snelling  in  that  city. 
These  charter  members  were  John  T.  Rankin  and  Mary  A.,  his  wife; 
Moses  P.  Snelling  and  Caroline,  his  wife;  Tama  Campbell,  Jane 
Higgins  and  Alsethia  Snyder.  In  1856  it  completed  a  church  building 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  University  Avenue  and  First  Street,  which, 
from  a  leading  feature  in  the  immediate  landscape,  was  long  called 
Goose  Pond  Church,  and,  as  has  been  recorded  at  some  length,  was  the 
scene  of  many  notable  gatherings,  outside  the  pale  of  the  church. 

Rev.  AY.  W.  Blanchard,  who  assisted  in  organizing  the  church 
supplied  the  pulpit  until  January  13,  1855,  after  which  the  church  was 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  395 

without  a  regular  pulpit  supply  until  about  a  year  later.  During  the 
year  1855  the  first  church  building  was  erected,  on  a  lot  donated  by 
the  Illinois  Central  R.  R.  Co.,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,000.  The  site  was 
at  the  corner  of  First  Street  and  University  Avenue,  Champaign.  In 
the  year  1866  the  second  church  building  was  erected,  on  West  Park 
Street,  at  a  cost  of  $16,000.00  and  during  the  seven  succeeding  years 
the  church  was  constantly  increasing  in  members  and  influence  in  the 
community.  On  the  evening  of  September  12,  1873,  the  church 
building  on  West  Park  Street  was  burned,  and  the  Sunday  service 
and  Sunday  school  was  held  in  Barrett  Hall  for  about  a  year  fol- 
lowing. 

During  the  next  year  (1874)  the  present  church  building  was  built 
(corner  Church  and  State  streets)  at  a  cost  of  $22,000.00  and  was 
dedicated  free  of  debt.  In  1883  a  pipe  organ  was  purchased  through 
the  efforts  of  the  Young  People's  Society  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  In  1895 
a  parsonage  costing  $4,600  was  secured.  In  1910  a  branch  church 
building,  at  a  cost  of  $3,600,  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Grove  streets.  During  the  more  than  sixty-four  years  of  its  history 
the  church  has  had  but  eight  ministers  or  pastors.  The  names  of  these 
are  as  follows,  with  the  years  of  service:  1856-7,  Rev.  W.  H.  Halliwell; 
1857-1868,  Rev.  S.  A.  Vandyke;  1869—,  Rev.  E.  N.  Andrews;  1870- 
1872,  Rev.  T.  J.  Valentine;  1872-1887,  Rev.  W.  G.  Pierce;  1888-1892, 
Rev.  John  Allender;  1892-1907,  Rev.  Franklin  L.  Graff;  1908  (and  at 
present),  Rev.  John  Andrew  Holmes.  Dr.  Holmes  has  accepted  a  call 
to  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  and  will  leave 
in  September.  Of  the  present  list  of  550  members,  414  have  been 
received  by  him. 

On  June  24,  1917,  the,  church  voted  informally  to  dispose  of  its 
present  property  and  build  a  hundred  thousand  dollar  church  on  the 
east  side  of  the  city. 

THE  FIEST  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

i 

In  April,  1855,  John  Walkington  came  from  Brown  County,  Ohio, 
and  located  on  a  farm  about  three  miles  south  of  the  present  city  of 
Champaign.  He  united  with  the  Methodist  Church  at  Urbana,  and  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  Rev.  W.  F.  T.  Spruill,  pastor  of  that  organization, 
appointed  him  a  class  leader  for  a  few  of  his  faith  who  gathered  for 
services  at  the  Illinois  Central  depot  at  the  new  station,  West  Urbana. 
Mr.  Walkington  organized  a  class  consisting  of  John  Walkington,  A. 
J.  Stewart  and  Ann  R.  Stewart;  which  was  the  beginning  of  the  First 


396  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

M.  E.  Church  of  Champaign.  Rev.  Richard  Holding,  Rev.  Lester 
Janes  and  Rev.  William  Munhall  preached  occasionally.  The  confer- 
ence sent  Rev.  P.  N.  Minnear  to  the  charge  as  its  first  resident  minister. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Revs.  A.  C.  Armentrout,  G.  R.  McElfresh,  E.  D. 
Wilkins,  and  W.  H.  Webster.  In  September,  1863,  during  Mr.  Web- 
ster's pastorate,  the  first  church  building  was  dedicated,  the  congrega- 
tion having  previously  worshipped  in  such  halls  at  Clark's  and  Bailey's. 
An  addition  was  made  to  the  house  of  worship  during  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  G.  H.  Adams,  who  served  in  1865-67.  He  was  followed  by  Rev. 
J.  H.  Noble,  who  occupied  the  pulpit  for  two  years.  The  membership 
so  increased  during  his  pastorate  that  it  was  decided  to  form  another 
church  across  the  tracks.  Accordingly,  a  building  for  the  new  society 
was  erected  at  East  University  Avenue  and  Sixth  Street,  its  pastor 
being  appointed  in  the  fall  of  1868.  The  successors  of  Mr.  Noble  until 
1887  were  Revs.  W.  R.  Goodwin,  W.  N.  McElroy,  Horace  Reed,  J.  H. 
Noble  (second  term),  W.  N.  McElroy  (second  term),  J.  G.  Little, 
N.  P.  Heath  (died  in  1879),  T.  A.  Parker,  E.  D.  Wilkins,  M.  W. 
Everhart,  J.  Villars  and  W.  D.  Best.  In  1887  Rev.  J.  B.  Wolfe 
assumed  the  pastorate,  and  in  1889,  during  his  incumbency,  was  dedi- 
cated the  first  brick  church  located  on  West  Church  Street.  In  the 
succeeding  seventeen  years  Revs.  T.  M.  House,  R.  G.  Hobbs,  W.  H. 
O'Neal,  G.  E.  Scrimger,  W.  A.  Smith  and  C.  Galeener  served  the  First 
M.  E.  Church  with  such  effect  that  a  larger  house  of  worship  was 
required.  One  was  therefore  erected  in  1906,  and  is  still  occupied. 
Since  the  year  named  the  pastors  have  been  Rev.  J.  W.  VanCleve, 
Rev.  Joseph  Nate  and  Rev.  R.  H.  Schuett,  the  last  named  having 
been  in  service  since  1912.  The  church  has  a  present  membership 
of  1,400. 

Besides  the  Fifth  Street  branch,  the  Methodists  of  Champaign 
have  missions  on  North  Fifth  and  East  Tremont.  The  Bethel  African 
M.  E.  Church  is  on  East  Park,  Rev.  E.  G.  Jackson,  pastor. 

EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Champaign  was  organized  in 
1855  by  Rev.  C.  A.  F.  Selle.  Its  pastors,  in  chronological  order,  have 
been  Revs.  Selle,  M.  Zucker,  Theodore  Mertens,  T.  Buszin,  H.  Ginpe,  F. 
Lindemann,  C.  Brauer,  L.  Frese,  C.  Mueller,  C.  Frappe,  W.  Roecker, 
and  G.  Stiegmeyer.  The  present  strength  of  the  church  is  sixty-five 
voting  members.  The  house  in  which  they  worship  was  originally 
built  in  1899  and  remodeled  in  1915. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  397 

ST.  PETER'S  EVANGELICAL  CHURCH 

St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Church  of  Champaign  originated  in  the 
attempt  of  the  German  Synod  of  the  Northwest  to  establish  an  organiza- 
tion of  that  faith  in  1859.  Although  the  attempt  was  unsuccessful 
at  the  time,  it  was  renewed  by  Eev.  J.  M.  Hartmann  in  1863.  In  the 
spring  of  1864,  after  six  months  of  preaching  and  labor,  he  succeeded 
in  organizing  a  congregation  of  twenty-one  members,  who  decided  to 
appoint  and  support  a  pastor.  Rev.  Julius  Schumm,  of  Lancaster, 
Wisconsin,  was  finally  appointed  by  the  synod  as  pastor  of  the  new 
church,  and  Mr.  Hartmann  presented  him  to  the  congregation  in 
October,  1864.  Sites  for  a  church  and  school  were  immediately 
purchased,  and  the  buildings  completed  on  December  31,  1865.  At 
the  General  Conference  held  in  September,  1866,  the  congregation  was 
taken  into  the  Synodical  Bond,  under  the  name  "German  Evangelical 
St.  Peter's  Church  of  Champaign."  In  July,  1869,  Mr.  Schumm 
preached  his  farewell  sermon ;  and  was  succeeded  during  the  following 
four  years  by  Revs.  Kammerer,  Buehlow  and  Andreas,  and  in  1873  by 
Rev.  H.  Strehlow,  who  served  the  church  with  rare  efficiency  and  faithful- 
ness until  1896.  The  church  membership  had  greatly  increased,  but 
the  congregation  was  poor;  yet  Mr.  Werhahn,  Mr.  Strehlow's  successor, 
accomplished  the  task  of  raising  funds  for  the  building  of  an  ample 
house  of  worship,  which  was  dedicated  in  December,  1896.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  W.  Sussmuth  in  1899,  and  the  latter  by  the  present 
pastor,  Rev.  H.  F.  Mueller,  in  1906.  St.  Peter's  Church  now  numbers 
170  families,  or  about  500  members. 

Grace  English  Lutheran  Church  is  located  on  West  Springfield 
Avenue. 

ST.  MARY'S  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH 

St.  Mary's  is  the  mother  parish  of  Champaign  County,  and  orig- 
inally included  not  only  the  territory  now  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
St.  Patrick's  (of  Urbana)  and  St.  John's  and  Holy  Cross  (Cham- 
paign), as  well  as  its  own,  but  its  priests  ministered  to  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  Catholics  of  Ivesdale,  Tolono,  Bement,  Rantoul,  DeLand, 
Mahomet  and  several  other  outlying  vicinities.  It  is  also  recorded  that 
these  pioneer  priests  occasionally  celebrated  mass  in  Danville  before 
the  establishment  of.  a  Catholic  Church  there.  In  1854  the  Illinois 
Central  was  being  built  through  Champaign  County,  and  there,  as  in 
Illinois  generally,  a  great  portion  of  the  work  was  done  by  Irish 
laborers.  To  care  for  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  Catholics  of  central 
Illinois,  Rev.  Thomas  Ryan  was  appointed  a  missionary  priest,  and  it 


398  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

was  in  1854  that  he  founded  St.  Mary's  parish,  the  membership  of 
which  was  at  first  largely  composed  of  Irish  railroad  men.  The  little 
brick  church  which  he  undertook  to  erect  shortly  after  his  appointment 
was  wrecked  by  a  prairie  wind  storm,  which  left  the  Catholics  of  both 
Urbana  and  West  Urbana  without  a  house  of  worship  for  about  four 
years.  Then  a  small  frame  building  was  erected  on  the  present  property 
on  East  Park.  This  little  house  of  worship  was  not  entirely  com- 
pleted until  1861.  Father  Lambert,  a  priest  from  Indiana,  succeeded 
Father  Eyan  in  1858,  shortly  after  the  second  church  was  commenced, 
but  resigned  the  following  year,  and  was  followed  by  Eev.  A.  Vogt. 
Eev.  Thomas  Scanlon  assumed  charge  of  the  parish  in  1860,  and  after 
his  death  came  a  second  Father  Thomas  Byan,  who  remained  two  years, 
made  the  little  frame  church  more  comfortable  and  complete,  and 
founded  the  parish  house.  Afterward  he  bought  the  land  which  was 
consecrated  as  St.  Mary's  cemetery  and  died  in  Paxton  several  years 
later.  Eev.  Patrick  Noone  succeeded  the  second  Father  Eyan;  after 
him  came  Eev.  M.  Prendergast,  who  had  charge  of  the  parish  in 
1865-66,  and  his  successor,  Eev.  Patrick  Toner,  served  the  parish  for 
thirteen  years.  In  the  year  following  his  appointment  he  enlarged  the 
church  and  the  frame  structure  continued  to  do  service  until  the  present 
brick  edifice  was  erected  in  1888.  Between  the  years  1872  and  1874 
he  built  a  new  parochial  residence,  which,  in  turn,  gave  way  to  the 
present  handsome  brick  dwelling  in  1895. 

In  1876  Father  Toner  commenced  the  erection  of  a  brick  school- 
house,  which  was  opened  in  September,  1878,  and  placed  in  charge  of 
the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  Milwaukee.  For  thirty-eight  years  or  until 
June,  1916,  they  conducted  the  school,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Benedictine  Sisters  of  Nauvoo,  Illinois.  The  old  brick  schoolhouse, 
which  had  done  service  during  nearly  the  entire  period,  was  razed  in 
the  spring  of  1915  to  make  room  for  the  elegant  St.  Mary's  school  now 
occupied. 

Besides  performing  this  energetic  and  effective  work  at  Champaign, 
Father  Toner  erected  churches  at  Tolono  and  Ivesdale  in  1870  and  one 
at  Eantoul  in  1871.  In  May,  1879,  the  strain  undermined  his  health 
and  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the  active  work  of  the  church. 
Subsequently  he  lived  in  retirement  in  Ireland,  where  he  died. 

At  the  time  of  the  retirement  of  Father  Toner  from  St.  Mary's 
parish,  in  1879,  Tolono  was  made  a  separate  parish  and  placed  in  charge 
of  Eev.  A.  J.  Wagner,  formerly  Father  Toner's  assistant  at  Champaign. 

Father  McDermott  was  pastor  of  the  parish  for  a  short  time  after 
the  retirement  of  Father  Toner,  and  early  in  1880  Eev.  Father  Keating 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  399 

commenced  his  pastorate  of  eight  years.     During  that  period  a  new 
convent  was  erected  for  the  Sisters. 

FATHER  A.  J.  WAGNEK 

At  the  retirement  of  Father  Keating,  Father  Wagner  was  trans- 
ferred from  Tolono  to  St.  Mary's  parish;  he  finished  the  brick  church 
commenced  by  his  predecessor  and  also  enlarged  the  schoolhouse.  The 
beloved  and  honored  Father  Wagner  served  St.  Mary's  for  twenty-five 
years  and  six  months,  or  until  his  death,  October  28,  1913.  The  build- 
ing of  the  present  church  edifice  was  well  under  way  when  he  assumed 
his  duties  as  head  of  the  parish.  He  energetically  pushed  the  venture 
to  a  conclusion,  and  the  church  was  dedicated  by  Et.  Eev.  J.  L. 
Spalding,  D.  D.,  on  October  28,  1888.  In  1895  he  built  a  new  rectory, 
enlarged  the  school  and  improved  the  cemetery.  When  Father  Wagner 
became  priest,  St.  Mary's  property  was  valued  at  about  $10,000;  when 
he  died  it  was  worth  more  than  $125,000.  In  truth,  Father  Wagner 
was  a  man  of  rare  executive  ability,  as  well  as  of  charity,  spirituality 
and  real  benevolence. 

Eev.  J.  F.  Lockney,  D.  D.,  succeeded  him,  but  after  about  a  year 
retired  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  he  died  in  February,  1917. 
Eev.  E.  F.  Flynn,  the  present  pastor,  assumed  his  duties  in  September, 
1914.  Under  his  pastorate  the  elegant  two  story  brick  school  building 
was  completed,  being  dedicated  November  14,  1915,  greatly  adding  to 
the  value  and  fine  appearance  of  the  church  property.  This  now 
covers  the  entire  block  bounded  by  Wright,  Sixth  and  Church  streets, 
and  Park  Avenue.  It  includes  the  school,  church,  rectory  and  convent, 
and  is  conservatively  estimated  at  $150,000.  The  congregation  also 
purchased  the  land  for  St.  Mary's  cemetery,  but  this  burial  ground 
serves  other  congregations  as  well,  and  is  not  included  in  the  estimate  of 
St.  Mary's  property.  At  present  there  are  over  160  families  in  the 
parish  and  the  school  which  is  accredited  to  the  University  of  Illinois, 
has  an  attendance  of  200. 

ST.  JOHN'S  PARISH 

This  was'  organized  for  the  benefit  of  the  German-speaking  portion 
of  old  St.  Mary's.  Services  were  first  held  by  missionary  priests  and 
by  the  Catholic  pastor  of  the  Danville  Church.  The  first  resident  priest 
was  Eev.  Charles  Steurer,  who  assumed  charge  about  1894.  He  served 
five  years,  during  which  he  built  the  present  rectory,  a  two-story  frame 


400  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

residence  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Locust  and  Logan  streets.  Father 
A.  A.  Geyer  succeeded  him  and  under  his  pastorate  a  substantial  addi- 
tion was  built  to  the  church,  which  was  the  old  frame  building  erected 
by  St.  Mary's  parish  and  replaced  by  the  brick  house  of  worship  in 
1888.  The  new  addition  was  about  to  be  occupied  when,  on  the  night 
of  June  11,  1902,  it  was  completely  demolished  by  a  cyclone.  It  was 
restored  within  the  coming  year. 

In  1904  Father  Geyer  accepted  the  pastorate  of  St.  Mary's  Church, 
Rock  Island;  was  succeeded  by  Fathers  Edward  A.  Jakob,  William  E. 
Frawley  and  others;  but  returned  to  St.  John's  parish  in  1915  and  is 
still  at  its  head. 

HOLY  CROSS  PARISH 

The  remarkable  growth  of  Champaign  westward  necessitated  the 
formation  of  another  Catholic  parish  in  January,  1912.  Father  W.  E. 
Frawley,  who  had  been  attached  to  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  at 
Peoria,  serving  as  chancellor  of  the  diocese,  was  appointed  rector  of  St. 
John's  Church,  Champaign,  in  December,  1911.  Soon  afterward  he  com- 
pleted a  religious  census  of  the  Catholic  families  residing  west  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  ascertained  that  140  families  resided  in 
that  territory;  therefore,  the  authorization  of  the  foundation  of  Holy 
Cross  Parish  covering  that  territory  was  given  January  12,  1912.  In 
April  the  property  for  a  church  site  was  purchased  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Clark  and  Elm  streets.  The  corner-stone  of  the  church 
building  was  laid  in  July,  and  Father  Frawley,  having  been  appointed 
rector  of  the  new  parish,  the  first  mass  in  the  new  church  was 
celebrated  on  December  22,  1912.  The  church,  a  two  story  brick 
structure,  faces  north  on  Clark  Street,  and  has  also  been  occupied  since 
September,  1913,  by  a  parochial  school.  Adjoining  the  house  of 
worship  on  the  east  is  the  rectory.  In  July,  1916,  the  balance  of  the 
half  block  to  Prairie  Street  was  purchased  by  the  parish,  the  plan  being 
to  erect  a  convent  upon  at  least  a  portion  of  the  land. 

FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Champaign  occupies  a  massive  and 
ornate  structure  at  University  Avenue  and  Randolph  Street.  The  first 
house  of  worship  was  a  small  frame  building  with  a  tiny  cupola  perched 
on  the  front  of  the  roof  and  was  built  in  1868.  The  organization  was 
effected  in  1865  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  William  Remington,  and 
his  successors  were:  Rev.  G.  W.  Riley,  1867-70;  Rev.  A.  L.  Farr, 


HISTOHY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  401 

1870-74;  Rev.  A.  Cleghorn,  1874-78;  Rev.  I.  N.  Carman,  1878-81 ;  Rev. 
F.  M.  Williams,  1882-83;  Rev.  0.  B.  Read,  1883-85;  Rev.  H.  H.  Baw- 
den,  1886-90;  Rev.  E.  A.  Stone,  1890-94;  Rev.  W.  H.  Stedman,  1894- 
1903;  Rev.  George  C.  Moor,  1903-09;  Rev.  E.  B.  Rogers,  1909-11;  Rev. 
D.  0.  Hopkins,  since  1911.  The  First  Baptist  has  a  membership  of 
over  three  hundred. 

The  Salem  Baptist  Church  on  North  Fifth  Street  was  erected  in 
1908.     Rev.  S.  W.  Batchlor  is  the  present  pastor. 

EMMANUEL  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

Up  to  December,  1870,  there  were  no  established  services  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in   Champaign.     About  the  beginning  of  the   Civil 


VIEW  ON  WEST  CHURCH  STREET 

War  the  town  was  visited  by  Rev.  John  Wesley  Osborne,  of  Chicago, 
who,  as  diocesan  missionary,  seems  to  have  had  jurisdiction  along  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  from  Chicago  to  Cairo.  Mr.  Osborne  prob- 
ably held  services  at  Champaign,  but  there  is  no  record  of  any  official 
acts.  Regular  services  were  established  when  Rev.  Albert  E.  Wells 
located  in  the  city  during  December,  1870,  as  a  missionary  of  the 
Illinois  diocese.  At  that  time  the  congregation  met  in  Bailey's  Hall 
on  Neil  Street.  Mr.  Wells  continued  to  reside  in  Champaign  and  hold 
services  until  November,  1871,  when  he  took  charge  of  St.  Peter's 
Church,  at  Mound  City,  Illinois.  Periodically,  renewed  efforts  were 

1—26 


402  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

made  to  establish  the  Episcopal  Church  service  at  Champaign,  and 
finally  Rev.  Daniel  P.  Smith  opened  the  Little  Brick  schoolhouse,  on 
the  corner  of  Randolph  and  Hill  streets  to  an  Episcopal  congregation, 
December  8,  1875.  In  August,  1878,  he  severed  his  connection  with 
the  work  and  in  the  following  month  Rev.  William  C.  Hopkins  accepted 
charge  of  the  mission,  and  continued  in  that  capacity  for  about  four 
years.  In  July,  1882,  Mr.  Hopkins  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Jesse 
Higgins  and  Rev.  Arthur  Q.  Davis,  associate  priests,  residing  at  Cham- 
paign and  holding  services  there,  as  well  as  at  Urbana,  Tuscola  and 
other  missionary  points.  During  that  year  the  congregation  was 
incorporated  as  Emmanuel  Church  under  state  laws,  a  church  building 
contracted  for  and  Rev.  D.  W.  Dresser  installed  as  the  new  rector. 
The  building  was  opened  for  service  in  April,  1883,  being  consecrated 
by  Rt.  Rev.  George  F.  Seymour,  bishop  of  Springfield.  The  original 
rectory  was  first  occupied  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dresser  in  July,  1886,  and 
in  1902  a  large  and  more  modern  residence  was  provided.  The  church 
building  was  continually  improved  and  many  handsome  and  impressive 
memorials  were  added  to  its  interior.  A  large  memorial  window  was 
inserted  in  memory  of  Dr.  D.  W.  Dresser,  who  died  November  18,  1900. 
In  1901  the  Emmanuel  mission  became  a  parish,  Dr.  James  E.  Wilkin- 
son serving  from  that  year  until  his  resignation,  on  account  of  ill  health 
in  April,  1906.  In  September  of  that  year  Rev.  Harry  T.  Moore  took 
charge  of  the  parish,  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  L.  S.  Sherman  in  April, 
1907,  and  he,  in  turn,  was  followed  by  Rev.  H.  C.  Goodman  in  Novem- 
ber, 1910.  The  fire  of  the  preceding  February  had  made  it  necessary 
for  services  to  be  held  in  the  University  chapel  for  some  time.  In 
June,  1914,  Mr.  Goodman  resigned  and  in  September  Rev.  George  P. 
Hoster,  to  whom  a  call  to  the  rectorship  had  been  extended  several 
years  previously,  commenced  his  work. 

In  August,  1916,  occurred  the  death,  by  accident,  of  John  Luther 
Polk,  Jr.,  a  member  of  the  vestry.  At  the  October  meeting  of  that 
body  Dr.  Hoster,  acting  in  behalf  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  John  L.  Polk,  pre- 
sented the  following:  "Dr.  and  Mrs.  Polk  will  build  a  church  costing 
not  less  than  $25,000,  nor  more  than  $30,000,  to  be  a  memorial  to  their 
sous,  John  Luther,  Robert  Collins  and  Justice  Cicero  Polk,"  and 
requesting  that  the  name  be  changed  to  read  "Emmanuel  Memorial 
Church."  On  May  1,  1917,  the  contract  was  signed  with  A.  W.  Stool- 
man  for  the  erection  of  the  church,  parish  house  and  rectory,  the  work 
to  be  completed  in  the  fall  of  1917. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  there  are  a  number  of  churches  within 
the  city  limits  worthy  even  of  more  specific  mention  than  can  be  given 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  403 

them,  but  the  information  urgently  requested  was  not  supplied.  The 
University  Place  Christian  and  the  Christian  Science  churches  are  in 
that  list.  It  is  known  that  the  First  Church  of  Christ  Scientist  has- 
been  organized  since  1908,  has  a  beautiful  edifice  for  worship,  the  usual 
rest  and  reading  room  down  town,  and  is  growing  steadily. 

BENEVOLENT  AND  CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS 

There  are  a  number  of  institutions  and  organizations  of  a  benevolent 
and  charitable  nature  which  are  nobly  co-operating  with  the  churches 
in  various  lines  of  practical  work  designed  to  relieve  the  physical  ail- 
ments and  material  embarrassments  of  life  from  which  none  are  posi- 
tively exempt.  Both  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  \V.  C.  A.  have  large 
and  growing  organizations,  the  work  being  largely  centered  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois;  the  Salvation  army  is  doing  the  usual  work  of 
proselyting  and  regeneration ;  there  are  the  Julia  F.  Burnham  Hospital, 
the  Garwood  Home  for  Old  Ladies,  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
League,  the  Dorcas  Society,  and  other  institutions,  tried  and  true,  and, 
as  an  organization,  through  which  all  can  work  and  to  which  many 
contribute,  the  United  Charities  Association  of  Champaign  and  Urbana. 

UNITED  CHARITIES  ASSOCIATION  OF  CHAMPAIGN  AND  UKBANA 

In  the  fall  of  1911  the  State  Conference  of  Charities  and  Correc- 
tions met  in  the  Twin  Cities,  Dr.  E.  C.  Hayes  of  the  University  of 
Illinois  being  largely  responsible  that  this  organization  was  asked  to 
meet  here.  As  a  result  of  the  interest  aroused  through  this  state  con- 
ference a  meeting  was  held  shortly  afterwards  at  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at 
which  all  the  various  organizations  interested  in  problems  of  poverty 
were  represented,  and  it  was  there  decided  to  organize  the  United 
Charities  Association  of  Champaign  and  Urbana.  It  had  already 
seemed  to  many  who  had  come  in  contact  with  the  problems  of  the 
two  towns  that  some  central  organization  should  be  formed  as  the  towns 
were  too  large  for  individual  work  to  be  effective.  Knowledge  gained 
by  one  person  was  not  passed  on  to  the  next  working  with  a  family. 
There  was  much  overlapping,  several  individuals  helping  the  same 
family,  each  thinking  they  were  the  only  ones  assisting. 

The  first  regular  meeting  of  the  Association  was  held  December 
28,  1911.  At  that  time  a  constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  Dr.  E.  C.  Hayes,  president; 
Mr.  F.  H.  Boggs,  vice-president;  Mr.  J.  M.  Kaufman,  treasurer;  Mrs. 


404  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

S.  P.  Sherman,  secretary  pro  tern.  Later  Miss  Florence  W.  Clark  was 
employed  as  secretary  to  give  all  her  time  to  the  work  and  she  took  up 
her  duties  on  February  20,  1912.  In  May,  1912,  the  organization  was 
incorporated. 

When  the  first  annual  meeting  was  held  in  December,  1912,  the 
organization  had  worked  with  119  resident  families  including  486  indi- 
viduals. The  volume  of  work  has  increased  as  those  in  need  have  come 
to  know  of  the  organization  and  those  wishing  to  help  have  come  more 
and  more  to  realize  the  effectiveness  of  associated  charities  methods  to 
lift  a  family  out  of  dependency  and  help  them  to  again  be  self-support- 
ing. 

During  the  winters  of  1913-14  and  1914-15  when  industrial  condi- 
tions all  over  the  country  were  bad,  the  number  of  families  assisted 
reached  as  high  as  350  a  year,  comprising  about  1,500  individuals,  and 


JCLIA   F.    BUKNHAM  HOSPITAL 

this  past  year  306  families  came  to  the  attention  of  the  organization, 
these  families  comprising  about  1,100  individuals. 

At  present  the  organization  has  210  contributing  members,  and  the 
officers  are  president,  Mr.  E.  S.  Swigert;  vice-president,  Mr.  M.  W. 
Busey;  treasurer,  Mr.  J.  H.  Thornburn;  secretary,  Miss  Gertrude 
Longden. 

JULIA  F.  BURNHAM  HOSPITAL 

The  Julia  F.  Burnham  Hospital  on  East  Springfield  Avenue  is  a 
practical  memorial  to  the  energetic  and  faithful  labors  of  Mrs.  Burn- 
ham,  for  nearly  thirty  years  a  sister,  and  a  mother  of  mercy  and 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  405 

charity,  in  Champaign  and  Urbana,  and  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
October  28,  1894,  and  for  some  years  prior  thereto,  she  was  a  prom- 
inent worker  in  the  State  Board  of  Charities.  Her  husband,  Albert 
C.  Burnham,  located  in  Champaign  in  1861,  then  in  his  twenty-third 
year,  read  law  with  James  B.  McKinley,  and  after  his  admission  to 
the  bar  was  associated  with  his  preceptor  in  the  banking  and  investment 
firm  of  McKinley  &  Burnham.  After  his  marriage  in  1866  he  became 
the  senior  member  of  such  banking  concerns  as  Burnham,  McKinley  & 
Company  and  Burnham,  Trevett  &  Mattis,  and  at  his  death,  September 
13,  1897,  he  left  a  large  estate.  In  the  late  years  of  his  life,  in  happy 
harmony  with  the  wishes  of  his  wife,  his  time,  attention  and  money  had 
been  largely  devoted  to  charitable  work,  and  through  his  gift  of  $10,000 
(afterward  increased  to  $25,000)  the  Julia  P.  Burnham  Hospital  was 
opened  on  March  5,  1895.  Mrs.  Burnham's  death  occurred  in  the 
previous  October. 

Mr.  Burnham's  original  gift  was  intrusted  to  the  Social  Science 
Club,  in  which  Mrs.  Burnham  had  been  deeply  interested,  and  the  mem- 
bership of  which  was  identical  with  that  of  the  Julia  F.  Burnham  Hos- 
pital Association.  H.  H.  Harris,  husband  of  another  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  club,  tendered  a  site  of  eight  lots  for  the  hospital  grounds. 
It  was  later  deemed  expedient  to  decline  this  offer,  and  the  present 
location  was  purchased  through  an  additional  donation  made  by  Mr. 
Burnham.  In  case  the  club,  to  which  the  foundation  was  consigned, 
should  disband,  ample  provision  was  made  for  the  permanent  manage- 
ment of  the  hospital.  An  endowment  fund  was  also  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Hospital  Board.  The  hospital  is  well  managed. 

GARWOOD  HOME  FOB  OLD  LADIES 

The  Garwood  Home  for  Old  Ladies  is  a  comfortable  house  at  North 
Market  Street  and  the  city  limits.  Although  the  late  L.  C.  Garwood 
left  the  greater  part  of  his  estate  to  found  and  maintain  the  Home, 
complications  followed  in  the  settlement  and  investment  of  various 
interests  so  that  all  has  not  been  accomplished  that  was  designed. 
Under  the  terms  of  his  will  none  are  admitted  who  have  not  resided  in 
Champaign  County  for  at  least  five  years,  and  many  old  ladies  of  fine 
character  have  been  made  comfortable  in  the  delining  years  of  their 
lives.  Mrs.  Arthur  Spalding,  closely  identified  with  Mr.  Garwood's 
interests  during  his  life  and  with  the  estate  afterward,  has  been  a 
mainstay  of  the  institution  from  the  first.  Walter  H.  Johnson  is  the 
superintendent. 


406  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

YOUNG  WOMEN'S  CHRISTIAN  LEAGUE 

The  Young  Women's  Christian  League  provides  a  home  for  working 
women  on  West  Church  Street,  at  a  small  cost.  It  has  a  matron  and 
accommodations  are  furnished  to  fourteen  girls  and  women.  The 
board  of  management  comprises  two  members  from  each  religious 
denomination  in  the  city.  The  Home  was  opened  in  January,  1917, 
and  the  following  have  served  since  as  its  officers:  Mrs.  B.  F.  Harris, 
president;  Miss  Sara  Monier,  treasurer,  and  Mrs.  T.  J.  Paisley,  sec- 
retary. 

THE  DORCAS  SOCIETY 

The  oldest  charitable  organization  in  Champaign  is  the  Dorcas 
Society.  It  has  always  done  useful  service  in  the  community,  and 
Mrs.  John  W.  Stipes  is  its  president.  For  many  years  its  chief  spirit 
was  Mrs.  Harriet  Lawhead,  who  devoted  her  life  to  charitable  work  and 
came  to  be  known  as  the  unfailing  friend  of  all  the  poor  and  needy. 
One  of  the  public  school  buildings  of  the  city  is  named  in  her  honor, 
the  Lawhead  School. 

WOMEN'S  CLUBS 

The  Twin  Cities  are  both  strong  in  the  field  of  women's  clubs  and, 
in  not  a  few  cases,  the  activities  of  the  same  organization  cover  both 
cities.  Among  the  ladies  who  are  leaders  in  the  uplifting  work  pro- 
mulgated by  such  clubs  are  included  many  of  the  foremost  women  of 
both  Champaign  and  Urbana,  and  the  work  of  these  clubs  has  had  a 
markedly  beneficial  influence  on  the  social  and  intellectual  atmosphere 
of  both  cities. 

THE  ABT  CLUB 

One  notable  feature  runs  through  the  history  of  these  fine  bodies  of 
womanhood,  and  that  is  the  strong  influence  exerted  by  the  University 
of  Illinois  in  the  establishment  and  development  of  the  women's  clubs 
of  both  Champaign  and  Urbana.  The  Champaign  Art  Club,  the 
mother  of  them  all,  organized  in  1876,  was  an  offspring  of  the  Uni- 
versity department  of  art,  of  which  Professor  Kennis  was  the  head. 
In  her  paper  read  before  the  Art  Club  and  its  friends  during  a  meeting 
commemorative  of  its  twenty-first  anniversary,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Maxwell  said 
that  Professor  Kennis  delivered  a  lecture  before  the  club  at  its  first 
formal  meeting,  advancing  many  ideas  which  were  subsequently 
adopted  in  its  founding  and  plan  of  study  and  investigation.  Again 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  407 

says  Mrs.  Maxwell :  "In  those  early  days,  when  our  city  libraries  were 
less  equipped  than  now,  the  college  professors  used  to  furnish  us  with 
books,  as  well  as  talks  and  lectures  upon  subjects  connected  with  our 
studies." 

The  initial  inspiration  which  finally  led  to  its  organization  was  the 
collection  of  sculpture  and  engravings  of  masters,  both  ancient  and 
modern,  purchased  and  installed  by  the  University  and  the  citizens  of 
the  Twin  Cities  in  1874.  Credit  for  the  selection  of  the  collection  was 
also  largely  due  to  Dr.  Gregory,  who  visited  Europe  at  his  own  expense 
to  perform  that  work.  The  original  membership  of  the  club  was 
twelve — Mesdames  J.  M.  Healey,  Jonathan  Bacon,  Don  Carlos  Taft, 
E.  V.  Peterson,  A.  E.  Harmon,  Phoncene  W.  Frisbee,  of  Champaign, 
and  Mesdames  Alexander,  J.  W.  Porter,  J.  E.  Hunt,  T.  J.  Burrill,  C. 
D.  Webster  and  W.  H.  Smith,  of  Urbana.  The  first  constitution  of  the 
Art  Club  was  adopted  December  18,  1890,  having  been  drafted  mainly 
by  Mrs.  J.  B.  Eussell,  Mrs.  George  W.  Gere  and  Mrs.  G.  C.  Willis. 
For  many  years  the  study  of  the  Art  Club  was  devoted  exclusively  to 
art  and  art  history,  on  the  lines  laid  down  by  its  originators,  but  there 
has  been  a  continual  broadening  of  its  scope  of  late  years.  Among  its 
best  known  presidents  have  been  Mrs.  Anna  S.  Clark,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Kim- 
ball,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Burnham,  Mrs.  Jonathan  Bacon,  Mrs.  Henry  Swannell, 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Smith,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Russell,  Mrs.  W.  K.  D.  Townsend,  Mrs. 
G.  C.  Willis,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Harris,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Gere,  Mrs.  R.  R.  Mattis, 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Porter,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Ray,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Hatch,  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Harris,  Mrs.  H.  E.  Gushing,  Mrs.  J.  B.  McKinley,  Mrs.  C.  N.  Wilder, 
Mrs.  D.  F.  Carnahan,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Burrill,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Stewart,  Mrs.  T. 
A.  Naughton. 

THE  THIETY  CLUB 

The  Thirty  Club  was  organized  by  the  ladies  of  Champaign  and 
Urbana,  in  1885,  chiefly  under  the  leadership  of  Prof.  J.  C.  Pickard, 
instructor  in  English  and  literature  at  the  university,  and  Prof.  Nathan- 
iel Butler,  at  the  head  of  that  department  and  for  many  years  past 
identified  with  the  University  of  Chicago.  For  the  first  five  years  of  its 
existence  the  organization  was  known  as  the  Shakespeare  Club,  the  name 
defining  its  scope  of  study.  Since  then  its  curriculum  has  included  other 
branches  of  literary  study,  both  classical  and  current.  Its  present  officers 
are:  Mrs.  H.  H.  Stoech,  president;  Mrs.  H.  S.  Capron,  vice-president; 
Mrs.  A.  P.  Carman,  secretary. 


408  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CLUB  OF  THE  TWIN  CITIES 

The  Social  Science  Club  of  Champaign  and  TJrbana  originated  in 
a  visit  of  Mrs.  J.  L.  Kay  and  Mrs.  H.  H.  Harris  to  Washington,  in 
attendance  at  the  National  Council  of  Women,  during  the  year  1888. 
Largely  through  their  enthusiasm  and  initiative  an  organization  was 
effected  among  the  women  of  the  Twin  Cities  known  as  the  Social  and 
Political  Science  Club.  In  1892  the  word  Political  was  eliminated, 
although  the  activities  of  the  club  and  its  studies  were  in  no  wise 
curtailed,  social  science  logically  covering  not  only  the  political  phases 
of  the  subjects  of  special  interest  to  women,  but  the  sociological  and 
all  others. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  original  club's  history  the  presidents 
have  been  Mrs.  J.  L.  Ray,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Harris,  Mrs.  S.  A.  Forbes, 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Gere,  Mrs.  Edward  Snyder,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Sewart,  Mrs.  S.  T. 
Busey,  Mrs.  B.  F.  Harris  (died  in  January,  1896),  Mrs.  I.  N.  Wade, 
Mrs.  F.  M.  Wright,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Dunlap,  Mrs.  A.  N.  Talbot,  Mrs. 
George  A.  Turrell,  Mrs.  J.  T.  Davidson,  Mrs.  John  A.  Glover. 

During  the  administration  of  the  following  club  board,  Mrs.  J.  R. 
Stewart,  Mrs.  F.  M.  Wright,  Mrs.  I.  0.  Baker  and  Mrs.  J.  T.  Davidson, 
in  1893,  this  club  procured  a  charter  from  the  State,  the  signatures  of 
the  entire  membership  of  thirty-five  being  appended  to  the  application 
for  an  incorporation,  whose  purpose  should  be  the  maintenance  of  the 
Julia  F.  Burnham  Hospital.  A  short  time  later  one-half  of  the  mem- 
bers withdrew  from  the  parent  club  and  founded,  with  an  equipment 
of  new  officers,  the  Champaign  Social  Science  Club,  whose  purpose  was 
to  continue  its  literary  studies  and  to  spend  its  energies  on  the  main- 
tenance of  the  new  hospital.  The  original  club  under  its  then  existing 
administration  relinquished  all  its  rights  and  interests  in  that  organiza- 
tion and  has  since  followed  its  social  and  literary  pursuits. 

THE  CHAMPAIGN  SOCIAL  SCIENCE  CLUB 

The  Champaign  Social  Science  Club  was  founded  in  the  fall  of  1893 
for  the  special  purpose  of  helping  to  maintain  a  hospital  convenient  to 
the  people  of  Champaign  which  had  been  made  possible  through  the 
donation  of  $10,000  by  A.  C.  Burnham  to  found  a  memorial  hospital 
in  honor  of  his  late  wife,  Julia  F.  Burnham.  Aside  from  the  careful 
consideration  of  literary  and  civic  studies,  this  club,  its  membership 
limit  having  been  increased  to  forty,  has  succeeded  by  the  faithful  efforts 
of  years  in  bringing  the  hospital  through  the  trying  vicissitudes  attend- 
ant on  the  establishment  of  so  important  an  institution  and  fixing  it  on 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  409 

a  footing  which  makes  it  a  reliance  for  valuable  public  service  and  a 
source  of  pride  to  those  who  stood  by  it  during  the  days  of  its  infancy. 
The  meetings  of  the  clubs  have  always  been  conducted  in  the  Burnham 
Athenaeum,  the  city  public  library  building. 

WOMAN'S  CLUB  OF  CHAMPAIGN  AND  URBANA 

An  organization  of  much  influence  and  energy  is  the  Champaign 
and  Urbana  Woman's  Club.  It  was  organized  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  G.  C. 
Willis  in  Champaign  in  1897,  and  a  full  list  of  working  departments 
was  soon  provided  for  the  club.  It  is  intellectually  and  numerically 
strong  and  is  a  member  of  the  State  organization.  Its  first  officers 
were  as  follows:  President,  Mrs.  Joseph  Carter,  who  held  three  terms; 
secretary,  Mrs.  H.  S.  Piatt;  treasurer,  Mrs.  F.  L.  Bills.  Succeeding 
Mrs.  Joseph  Carter  as  president  were  Mrs.  S.  A.  Forbes  (two  terms), 
Mrs.  M.  W.  Busey  and  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Lee. 

CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY  COUNTRY  CLUB 

The  Champaign  County  Country  Club  is  one  of  the  prosperous  organ- 
izations which  have  given  the  Twin  Cities  a  high  standing  among  people 
who  still  believe  in  the  necessity  for  outdoor  exercise  and  recreation. 
It  was  organized  in  1904,  and  as  a  corporation  leased  for  ten  years  the 
beautiful  forty-acre  homestead  of  E.  0.  Chester  adjoining  the  city 
limits  of  Champaign  on  the  southwest.  At  the  expiration  of  the  lease, 
in  1910,  the  club  purchased  the  grounds.  A  handsome  clubhouse  has 
been  constructed,  with  wide  porches  and  roof  garden,  offering  charming 
views  of  the  adjoining  country.  A  nine-hole  golf  course  was  also  laid 
out,  tennis  courts  built,  bowling  alleys  installed,  croquet  grounds  com- 
pleted and  playgrounds  for  children  platted  in  a  wooded  stretch.  Tour- 
naments and  entertainments  of  all  kinds  add  to  the  enjoyment  and 
membership  of  the  club,  which  is  divided  into  various  classes.  Honorary 
members  may  be  received  from  localities  outside  of  Champaign  County. 
The  total  membership  is  considerably  in  excess  of  200.  Since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Country  Club  in  1904  the  following  gentlemen  have  served 
as  presidents:  B.  F.  Harris,  M.  W.  Busey,  N.  M.  Harris,  W.  L.  Gray, 
E.  R.  Mattis,  E.  S.  Swigart,  F.  W.  Woody,  D.  P.  Mclntyre,  J.  B. 
Prettyman,  R.  D.  Burnham,  John  A.  Glover  and  George  A.  Huff. 

THE  GRAND  ARMY  POST 
Colonel  Nodine  Post  No.  140,  G.  A.  R.,  was  mustered  in  June  17, 


410 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


1882,  and  the  names  of  its  successive  commanders  have  been :  J.  W. 
Langley,  dead;  George  W.  Harwood  and  E.  A.  Kratz;  S.  E.  Weeks, 
H.  T.  Sperry,  A.  P.  Cunningham  and  Jacob  Buch,  all  of  whom  are 
deceased ;  Walter  E.  Price  and  John  B.  Weeks ;  Edward  Bigelow,  dead ; 
W.  H.  Coffman;  George  K.  Sheffer  and  Ben.  J.  Craven,  both  dead; 
A.  T.  Hall;  W.  G.  Abbott  and  J.  B.  Kussell,  deceased;  J.  N.  Beck; 
George  F.  Beardsley  and  Arthur  C.  Price,  dead;  Joseph  Jutton;  M. 
Bongart,  deceased ;  S.  P.  Atkinson,  Charles  M.  Miller,  A.  K.  Hefflefinger, 
J.  H.  Bainum,  William  Myers  and  C.  B.  Johnson;  P.  T.  Platt,  dead, 
and  A.  J.  Houston.  The  elective  officers  for  1917 :  Commander,  L.  C. 
Pittman;  S.  V.  C.,  M.  M.  Myers;  J.  V.  C.,  J.  M.  Campbell  (dead); 


COUNTRY  CLUB  HOUSE  AND  GROUNDS 

0.  D.,  H.  A.  Glascock;  chaplain,  W.  H.  Coffman;  surgeon,  S.  Van 
Brunt;  Q.  M.,  Adam  Frison;  Adj.,  Walter  E.  Price;  0.  G.,  Chris  Grein; 
P.  I.,  C.  B.  Johnson;  Q.  M.  S.,  Charles  Miller.  In  April,  1917,  the 
post  had  a  membership  of  seventy-nine ;  five  had  died  during  the  year. 

CHAMPAIGN  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

An  agency  which  has  done  much  toward  the  development  of  Cham- 
paign County  is  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Champaign.  It  was  incor- 
porated April  30,  1904,  as  The  Eetail  Merchants'  Association  of  Cham- 
paign, Illinois,  with  Seeley  C.  Gulick,  W.  I.  Ferguson,  D.  E.  Harris, 
F.  K.  Robeson,  M.  A.  Nelson,  M.  E.  Smith  and  F.  D.  Eirkpatrick  as  the 
first  board  of  directors.  Mr.  Robeson  was  elected  president.  The  work 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  411 

of  the  organization  was  directed  almost  wholly  to  the  correction  of  trade 
abuses  which  caused  heavy  losses  to  business  firms  and  increased  cost  of 
goods  to  patrons  who  paid  their  bills  and  asked  only  a  square  deal. 

On  May  5,  1905,  following  discussions  of  plans  for  broadening  the 
work  of  the  organization,  the  name  was  changed  to  "Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  Champaign,  Illinois,"  and  the  new  activities  were  conducted 
that  year  under  direction  of  J.  E.  Trevett,  president,  and  J.  M.  Kauf- 
man, W.  I.  Ferguson,  M.  A.  Nelson,  W.  K.  Bradley,  C.  H.  Baddeley  and 
G.  C.  Willis  as  directors.  Under  the  new  plan  the  association  took  up 
a  variety  of  subjects  for  consideration,  keeping  the  commercial  depart- 
ment almost  entirely  separate  from  the  general  work.  A  public  rest 
room  was  one  of  the  early  undertakings  and  is  still  in  operation  with 
attendance  on  the  part  of  shoppers  and  strangers  in  the  city,  which  more 
than  justifies  the  expense  incurred.  Free  parcel  checking,  free  local 
telephone  service,  toilet  facilities  are  offered  the  general  public  without 
formality.  Another  feature  which  has  been  strengthened  during  the 
last  five  years  is  the  information  bureau,  free,  as  are  other  services,  and 
a  reality  in  all  the  name  implies. 

Among  the  accomplishments  of  the  association  are  the  change  from 
a  blacklist  for  the  protection  of  merchants  to  a  credit  rating  system 
designed  to  be  of  use  to  all  citizens  and  fair  to  all,  the  ratings  being 
based  wholly  on  the  custom  of  handling  accounts  and  systematized  to 
follow  any  changes  readily.  The  association  was  responsible  for  the 
lighting  of  the  business  section  of  the  city,  and  after  investing  over 
$3,000  gave  the  distributing  plant  to  the  city. 

It  promoted  the  high  school  bond  issue,  the  installation  of  city 
lighting  system,  and  bond  issue  for  motorizing  the  fire  department ; 
initiated  and  perfected  the  organization  of  the  county  farm  bureau  and 
established  the  county  office  in  Champaign;  also  assisted  the  City  Coun- 
cil in  the  preparation  of  building  ordinance,  and  has  done  much  work 
to  procure  for  the  city  adequate  surface  water  and  sanitary  sewer  system. 

Industrially,  the  association  has  not  been  active  during  the  last  five 
years.  Prior  to  that  time  a  "factory  fund"  had  been  created  by  the 
sale  of  an  80-acre  tract  of  land  divided  into  342  lots.  Much  of  this 
money  was  spent  as  factory  bonus  and  lost  on  the  factories  so  procured, 
but  the  net  result  has  worked  out  to  about  balance  the  account.  The 
disposition  now  is  to  not  bid  for  factories;  however,  manufacturing 
concerns  are  not  discouraged  if  they  find  upon  investigation  that  they 
can  do  well  in  Champaign. 

Co-operation  with  the  University  of  Illinois  is  active,  friendly  and 
helpful,  because  Champaign  realizes  that  that  great  educational  insti- 
tution is  one  of  its  most  valuable  assets. 


412  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Until  a  few  years  ago  the  shops  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  were 
located  in  the  business  section  of  the  city.  Through  efforts  of  this 
association  directed  by  a  friendly  spirit,  the  shops  have  been  moved 
about  two  miles  north  of  the  city  where  the  company  has  spent  over 
$1,000,000  on  new  buildings  and  equipment,  making  this  division  one 
of  the  best  along  the  main  line. 

Looking  back  over  the  years  which  have  passed,  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing men  have  served  as  president :  P.  K.  Robeson,  1903-0-i ;  J.  R. 
Trevett,  1904-06 ;  E.  M.  Burr,  1906-07;  B.  F.  Harris,  1907-10;  C.  A. 
Kiler  1910-11;  S.  K.  Hughes,  1911-12;  F.  C.  Amsbary,  1912-13;  J.  M. 
Kaufman,  1913-15;  D.  G.  Swannell,  1915-16;  A.  B.  Huckins,  1916-17. 

C.  D.  Brownell,  now  serving  as  president,  is  an  active  business  man, 
and  has  been  called  upon  to  serve  the  community  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  the  board  of  education,  and  by  special  duties  as  member 
of  various  committees  for  investigation.  In  his  new  place  he  is  giving 
the  same  thought  and  time  to  the  work  in  hand  which  had  made  his 
service  valuable  in  other  capacities.  C.  W.  Murphy  is  the  efficient  man- 
aging secretary. 

Of  the  men  named,  all  are  still  actively  engaged  in  business  in 
Champaign  and  reaping  their  part  of  the  benefits  which  the  whole  com- 
munity enjoys  as  a  result  of  the  unselfish  and  often  unpraised  work  of 
the  people  organized  as  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Champaign,  Illi- 
nois. 

Hardly  an  undertaking  in  the  city  is  completed  without  this  organ- 
ization in  some  way  having  a  part  in  its  performance.  It  is  commonly 
regarded  as  the  central  association  to  which  all  look  for  assistance  in 
community  work,  and  it  has  never  been  found  unwilling. 

LOCAL  BANKS 

The  banks  of  Champaign  are  commensurate  with  the  large  needs 
and  pronounced  progress  of  the  city. 

The  oldest  of  its  financial  institutions  is  the  Trevett-Mattis  Bank- 
ing Company.  The  original  concern  was  founded  by  the  late  Albert  C. 
Burnham,  in  1861.  He  was  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-three,  who 
had  recently  been  admitted  to  the  bar  as  a  student  under  James  B. 
Mclvinley,  and  became  associated  with  that  gentleman  both  as  a  law 
and  a  farm  investment  partner.  Within  a  few  years  the  legal  portion 
of  the  partnership  was  almost  obliterated  by  the  growth  of  the  business 
conducted  for  eastern  capitalists  in  farm  securities.  In  1871,  the  busi- 
ness was  assumed  by  Burnham,  McKinley  &  Company,  and  a  few  years 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


413 


later  William  B.  McKinley,  nephew  of  James  B.,  was  installed  as  a 
clerk  in  the  office.  The  two  McKinleys  became  partners  in  1877,  Mr. 
Burnham  having  reorganized  the  original  business  in  1876  under  the 
name  of  Burnham,  Trevett  (J.  E.)  &  Mattis  (R.  R.).  The  firm  so 
continued  until  1897,  when  the  death  of  Mr.  Burnham  necessitated  a 
change  to  Trevett  &  Mattis.  In  1903,  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  state  banking  law  of  Illinois  as  the  Trevett-Mattis  Banking 
Company,  under  which  name  its  affairs  have  since  been  conducted. 
Its  specialty  is  still  farm  loans,  although  it  transacts  a  large  general 
banking  business.  Its  capital  and  surplus  amount  to  $200,000.  Fol- 
lowing are  its  officers :  Ross  R.  Mattis,  president ;  John  R.  Trevett,  vice- 
president  ;  Henry  W.  Berks,  second  vice-president ;  Wallace  P.  Spald- 
ing,  cashier;  John  H.  Trevett,  secretary. 

The  First  National   Bank  of  Champaign  was  chartered  under  the 


THE  OLD  ANGLE  BLOCK  (1858) 

National  Banking  Act  January  30,  1865.  It  was  founded  by  B.  F. 
Harris,  and  at  the  head  of  its  affairs  have  successively  been  his  son, 
Henry  H.  Harris,  and  his  grandson  also,  B.  F.  Harris.  The  bank 
building  was  originally  a  frame  structure  located  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Kuhn  building.  In  1872,  a  new  building  was  erected  at  the 
present  location  on  Main  Street,  and  in  1900  the  fine,  large  five-story 
structure  now  occupied  as  its  headquarters  and  by  various  office  firms 
was  completed.  Newton  M.  Harris,  brother  of  the  president,  is  vice- 


414  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  Hazen  S.  Capron,  who  suc- 
ceeded the  late  G.  A.  Turell,  cashier.  A  striking  idea  of  the  growth 
of  its  business  may  be  gained  from  the  statement  that  the  average 
deposits  during  its  first  year,  1865,  amounted  to  $7,359.65,  and  fifty 
years  afterward,  1915,  to  $1,626,274.38.  A  record  of  the  First  National 
and  its  founders  and  promoters  is  given  in  detail  elsewhere. 

The  Baileys  are,  like  the  Harrises  of  Champaign,  bankers,  both  by 
training  and  inheritance.  David  Bailey,  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
First  National,  in  1865,  disposed  of  his  interest  therein  during  the  '70s, 
and  in  1882  joined  his  son,  Captain  Edward  Bailey,  in  founding  the 
Champaign  National  Bank.  In  the  fall  of  1879  the  latter  had  asso- 
ciated himself  with  W.  S.  Maxwell  and  James  C.  Miller  in  establishing 
the  private  bank  of  Bailey,  Maxwell  &  Miller.  In  1882  the  business 
was  chartered  as  the  Champaign  National  Bank  with  a  capital  of 
$50,000.  Edward  Bailey  has  been  president  ever  since,  its  transactions 
having  expanded  commensurate  with  the  splendid  growth  of  the  city. 
P.  L.  McPheters  is  the  present  cashier.  The  details  of  the  development 
of  the  bank  and  the  facts  regarding  the  careers  of  David  and  Edward 
Bailey,  father  and  son,  are  to  be  found  in  other  pages  of  this  work. 

The  Commercial  Bank  is  the  creation  of  M.  W.  Busey,  son  of  Simeon 
H.  Busey  of  Urbana,  who  also  assisted  in  founding  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Champaign.  He  is  its  president;  George  W.  Busey,  a  brother, 
vice-president,  and  J.  C.  Somers,  cashier.  Its  location  is  on  East  Uni- 
versity Avenue. 

The  Citizens  State  Bank  was  organized  in  1895  and  incorporated 
in  1908.  Its  building  is  on  North  Neil  Street,  and  its  officers:  A.  M. 
Burke,  president;  E.  I.  Burke,  vice-president;  C.  L.  Maxwell,  cashier. 

The  predecessor  of  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Cham- 
paign was  the  Illinois  Title  and  Trust  Company,  which  was  incorporated 
in  September,  1902,  with  the  following  officers:  F.  B.  Vennum,  presi- 
dent ;  V.  W.  Johnston,  vice-president ;  Shields  A.  Elaine,  cashier.  It 
then  had  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000.  The  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank  was  incorporated  as  a  state  institution  in  August,  1912,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $150,000,  and  the  following  officers:  V.  W.  Johnston, 
president ;  Fred  Collison,  vice-president ;  Walter  W.  Stern,  second  vice- 
president;  E.  M.  Vennum,  cashier;  George  R.  Shawhan,  manager  of  the 
savings  department.  There  has  been  no  change  in  the  first  or  last  office ; 
the  present  vice-president,  however,  is  Walter  W.  Stern ;  cashier,  F. 
Way  Woody.  The  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  the  bank  are 
$25,000 ;  average  deposits,  $625,000. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  415 

CHAMPAIGN  NEWSPAPERS 

The  press  of  Champaign  is  represented  by  the  Gazette  and  the  News. 
As  early  as  May,  1857,  L.  G.  Chase  and  Albert  Gore  issued  the  "Spirit 
of  the  Agricultural  Press,"  a  handsome  quarto,  the  objects  of  which 
were  pithily  defined  by  its  name.  But  the  venture  evidently  was  not 
fathered  by  the  right  partnership  and  survived  less  than  a  year. 

With  the  material  left  by  the  Press,  Dr.  John  W.  Scroggs,  on  March 
10,  1858,  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Central  Illinois  Gazette,  a 
Eepublican  newspaper.  In  its  editorial  management  he  was  associated 
with  William  0.  Stoddard,  and  for  a  short  time  Messrs.  Cunningham 
and  Flynn,  of  the  Urbana  Union,  appeared  to  have  had  a  silent  finan- 
cial interest  in  the  newspaper  venture  at  West  Urbana.  The  Gazette 
had  attained  a  fair  circulation  and  influence  by  1860,  and  upon  Lin- 
coln's election  Mr.  Stoddard  was  appointed  to  a  secretaryship  in  the 
executive  office  and  retired  from  newspaper  work.  Dr.  Scroggs  sold  the 
paper  to  John  Carrothers  of  the  Union,  in  the  winter  of  1862-63,  and 
the.  two  publications  were  consolidated  for  about  a  year  under  the  name 
of  the  Champaign  County  Union  and  Gazette.  Then  the  material  was 
separated  and  the  Gazette  office  turned  over  to  John  W.  Summers,  a 
practical  printer,  by  whom  the  newspaper  venture  was  continued.  In 
the  summer  of  1864  Mr.  Summers  sold  to  another  printer,  John  Bob- 
bins who,  within  a  few  months,  turned  the  enterprise  over  to  George  W. 
Flynn,  George  N.  Eichards  and  J.  0.  Cunningham.  On  October  14, 
1864,  they  again  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Gazette  at  Urbana; 
in  April,  1866,  Judge  Cunningham  retired  from  the  editorship,  and  in 
September  of  that  year  Mr.  Eichards  withdrew  from  the  partnership, 
leaving  Mr.  Flynn  alone  until  the  spring  of  1868.  Then  George  Scroggs 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  it.  The  business  of  bookbinding  was  added, 
and  in  1871  Judge  Cunningham  became  an  equal  partner.  The  binding 
and  job  printing  department  was  moved  to  Urbana,  and  in  1872  the 
firm  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Scroggs  becoming  sole  proprietor  of  the  Gazette 
and  Flynn  &  Cunningham  of  the  bookbinding  and  job  plant  at  Urbana. 

Mr.  Scroggs  was  a  strong  writer  and  an  able  man  and  brought  great 
influence  to  the  Gazette.  In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house 
of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  was  afterward  appointed  consul  to  Ham- 
burg, Germany,  whence  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Champaign  and 
died  on  October  9,  1879,  as  the  ultimate  result  of  injuries  received 
during  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  War. 

Under  the  provisions  of  Mr.  Scrogg's  will,  the  publication  of  the 
Gazette  was  continued  by  his  executor,  H.  J.  Dunlap,  for  several  years. 


416  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

It  had  commenced  the  issue  of  a  daily  edition  in  1883,  and  in  1890  it 
was  sold  to  H.  H.  Harris  of  Champaign.  It  continued  under  the  finan- 
cial control  of  Mr.  Harris  and  under  the  editorship  of  J.  E.  Stewart. 
In  1900  the  plant  was  sold  to  Messrs.  Stewart,  Davis  &  Flanigan.  Sub- 
sequently, the  business  was  incorporated  and  in  1911  Mr.  Stewart  retired 
from  active  participation  in  its  editorial  and  business  management.  The 
Gazette  publishes  a  daily  evening  edition  and  is  Eepublican  in  politics. 
On  February  21,  1891,  E.  B.  Chapin,  formerly  of  the  Tolono  Herald, 
issued  the  first  number  of  the  semi-weekly  Champaign  County  News. 
In  1895,  an  evening  edition  was  added,  and  in  1903  a  morning  edition. 
In  1915  Mr.  Chapin  sold  the  News  to  E.  R.  Miekelberry  and  D.  W. 
Stevick,  who  have  since  conducted  its  editorial  and  business  affairs. 

SECRET  AND  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES 

The  secret  and  benevolent  organizations  of  Champaign  are  in  keep- 
ing with  the  standing  and  growth  of  the  communities  which  constitute 
the  city  as  a  whole.  The  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Pythian  Sisters;  the  Elks,  the  Moose,  the  Eagles,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  G.  A.  E.,  with  others  of  undoiibted  worth, 
have  established  a  firm  foothold  and  each  contributes  its  share  to  the 
general  fund  of  sociability,  morality  and  charity. 

As  is  the  rule,  the  Masons,  that  old  standard  order,  were  the  first 
to  effect  "a  stable  organization.  Dr.  Edwin  A.  Kratz,  with  his  usual 
thoroughness  and  correctness,  wrote  a  history  of  the  Western  Star  Lodge 
No.  240,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  original  body,  in  June,  1916.  The  facts 
which  follow  are  taken  from  that  account,  with  additions  made  by  the 
doctor  to  bring  the  record  up  to  the  summer  of  1917: 

Friday,  March  27,  1857,  the  petition  for  a  Lodge  U.  D.,  in  West 
Urbana  was  forwarded  to  the  Grand  Master  by  Worshipful  Brother 
Alfred  M.  Whitney,  together  with  the  fee  therefor,  $25. 

M.  W.  Bro.  James  H.  Hibbard,  the  G.  M.,  issued  his  dispensation 
giving  life  to  Masonry  in  the  little  village  some  time  in  April,  doubt- 
less the  latter  part  of  the  month.  (These  two  papers  have  been  lost  by 
fire  in  the  Grand  Secretary's  office,  and  the  date  and  names  thereon 
cannot  be  verified.) 

Monday,  May  11,  1857,  the  brethren  named  in  the  dispensation 
assembled  in  Whitney's  Hall,  southwest  corner  Main  and  Market  streets, 
and  opened  the  first  meeting  of  the  lodge.  There  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  a  formal  institution  of  the  lodge,  and  it  is  not  known  who 
was  present  at  this  meeting,  or  what  business  was  transacted,  since  our 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  417 

first  record  was  also  destroyed  by  fire;  but  it  is  understood  that  the 
officers  were :  A.  M.  Whitney,  Master ;  J.  Dallenbach,  S.  W. ;  A.  P. 
Hensley,  J.  W. ;  M.  L.  Dunlap,  Treas. ;  W.  B.  Fowler,  Secy.,  and  that 
Dr.  H.  C.  Howard  petitioned  for  the  degree ;  also  that  the  first  Monday 
in  the  month  was  designated  for  stated  meetings,  and  the  minimum 
fee  of  $20  adopted  for  the  degrees. 

The  report  to  the  Grand  Lodge  for  four  months'  work  showed  that 
two  petitioners  were  rejected,  four  initiated,  three  passed,  one  raised 
and  four  affiliated,  making  twelve  members,  and  the  trestle  board  show- 
ing ample  work  outlined. 

Wednesday,  October  7,  1857,  the  Grand  Lodge,  then  in  annual 
assembly,  upon  the  inspection  and  approval  of  the  work  of  this  Lodge, 
U.  D.,  granted  a  charter  therefor  under  the  name,  number  and  style 
of  Western  Star  Lodge  No.  240,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  located  in  West  Urbana, 
now  Champaign  City.  The  names  inscribed  on  the  charter  are :  Alfred 
M.  Whitney,  John  Dallenbach,  Archibald  P.  Hensley,  Mathias  L.  Dun- 
lap,  William  B.  Fowler,  Henry  C.  Whitney  and  Nathaniel  C.  Beasley, 
and  the  first  three  were  named  as  the  principal  officers.  (These  brethren 
were  no  doubt  the  original  petitioners,  for  it  was  the  custom  at  that 
time  not  to  add  other  names  to  the  charter.) 

What  seems  strange  is,  that  they  kept  on  working  during  the  interim 
supposed  to  be  dormant;  for  the  old  ledger  shows  three  raised  and  two 
affiliated  prior  to  the  lodge  being  constituted.  . 

Tuesday,  January  12,  1858,  the  lodge  was  duly  constituted  and  set 
to  work  by  Worshipful  Brother  Washington  C.  Cassell  of  Urbana  Lodge 
No.  157,  as  the  proxy  of  the  M.  W.  Grand  Master,  with  eighteen  mem- 
bers. 

"We  take  especial  pride  in  our  name  because  it  is  of  great  historical 
importance  to  the  Masons  of  this  grand  jurisdiction — -being,  the  name 
of  the  first  Masonic  lodge  located  on  Illinois  soil,  which  was  then  the 
outskirts  of  civilization,  namely,  of  'Western  Star  Lodge  No.  107,' 
instituted  at  Kaskaskia,  December  14,  1805,  by  virtue  of  a  dispensation 
issued  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania.  'Western  Star  Lodge  No.  107'  materially  assisted, 
with  several  others  in  1822,  in  the  formation  of  the  first  Grand  Lodge 
of  Masons  in  Illinois,  and  taking  a  charter  from  it  as  'Western  Star 
Lodge'  No.  1,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  It  furnished  the  first  Grand  Master,  as 
well  as  the  first  governor  of  the  state,  in  the  person  of  Shadrach  Bond. 
This  Grand  Lodge,  together  with  its  constituent  bodies,  ceased  to  exist 
in  the  year  1829,  being  swept  away  by  the  anti-Masonic  political  dis- 
turbances of  that  period,  but  'Western  Star  Lodge'  No.  240,  A.  F.  & 

1—27 


418  HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

A.  M.,  lives  to  perpetuate  the  name  and  memory  of  that  pioneer  lodge 
to  the  end  of  recorded  time." 

This  lodge  has  never  been  what  is  known  Masonically  as  a  "Moon 
Lodge,"  which  meets  on  a  certain  day  of  the  week  on  or  before  the  full 
moon. 

The  lodge  met  regularly  on  the  first  Monday  evening  of  every  month 
until  January,  1859,  when  two  meetings  were  deemed  necessary,  and  the 
first  and  third  Mondays  were  designated  for  stated  meetings.  This 
arrangement  held  good  until  June,  1867,  when  a  change  was  made  to 
the  second  and  fourth  Mondays  in  the  month,  which  still  prevails,  and 
it  has  never  yet  failed  of  a  quorum. 

The  lodge  prospered  from  the  start,  each  succeeding  report  showing 
more  members  until  1871,  when  its  maximum  of  135  was  reached,  then 
occurred  a  gradual  decrease  to  104  in  1882,  since  which  time  the  upward 
tendency  has  been  steady  and  permanent.  The  present  membership 
(1917)  is  about  460. 

"During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  now  known  as  the  Civil  War, 
many  of  our  members  enlisted  in  defense  of  country  and  fought  to  main- 
tain our  flag  unsullied,  quite  a  number  of  whom  were  honored  with 
commissions  ranking  from  lieutenant  to  brevet  brigadier-general,  with 
a  sprinkling  of  'high  privates,'  besides  the  numerous  men  in  the  ranks. 
At  the  close  of  hostilities  in  our  national  family,  the  seekers  after  'light' 
were  a  host,  and  the  closest  scrutiny  in  the  history  of  the  lodge  was 
had  during  the  eighteen  months  of  the  years  1865-66,  when  thirty  for 
initiation,  eleven  for  advancement,  and  two  for  affiliation  were  thrown 
aside  as  imperfect  ashlar  for  our  symbolic  structure." 

The  lodge  has  been  "at  home"  in  the  following  places,  all  being  on 
the  third  floor  of  substantial  brick  buildings: 

1.  Whitney's  building,  southwest  corner  Main  and  Market  streets, 
1857-1865. 

2.  Gardner's  Building,  No.  5  Main  Street,  1866-1869. 

3.  Mather  Block,  Nos.  65-67  Market  Street,  1869-1871. 

4.  Bailey's  Block,  Nos.  47-49  Neil  Street,  1872-1898. 

5.  Masonic  Block,  Nos.  20-22  Main  Street,  1899-1913. 

6.  Masonic  Temple,  Nos.  202-04  West  Hill  Street,  1914 — . 

The  lodge  became  a  freeholder,  mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Wor- 
shipful Brothers  J.  P.  Gulick,  L.  W.  Faulkner,  J.  B.  A.  Collan  and 
E.  A.  Kratz  on  Monday,  March  28,  1898,  by  a  majority  vote  accepting 
a  contract  for  the  Eichberg  Building,  Nos.  20-22  Main  Street.  The 
conveyance  for  this  income  property  was  made  Friday,  May  13,  1898, 
and  the  lodge  became  domiciled  therein  December  21,  1898. 


HISTOEY   OP   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  419 

The  purchase  price  was  $18,000.  There  was  a  mortgage  of  $8,000 
and  the  lodge  issued  notes  for  nearly  $6,000,  showing  that  7-9  or  about 
seventy-five  per  cent  holding  represented  debt,  with  only  150  members 
to  shoulder  the  burden;  but  in  ten  years  the  entire  incumbrance  was 
liquidated  without  increasing  the  fees  or  dues.  September  13,  1909,  by 
a  vote  of  ninety-eight  for  to  ten  against,  out  of  310  members,  this  income 
property  was  sold  for  double  the  purchase  price,  the  chapter,  having 
one-third  interest,  agreeing  thereto,  and  the  lodge  became  a  renter  once 
more. 

September  27,  1909,  the  first  step  towards  a  magnificent  temple  was 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  investigate  a  site,  to  wit:  H.  W. 
Berks,  J.  N.  Beers,  C.  H.  Baddeley,  B.  F.  Harris,  J.  W.  Davidson,  H. 
Eoberts,  Isaac  Kuhn,  J.  J.  Dallenbach  and  D.  P.  Mclntyre. 

April  25,  1910,  the  lodge  selected  the  Kuhn  site,  132  feet  square,  at 
the  northwest  corner  Hill  and  Eandolph  streets,  for  $15,800,  and 
the  committee  was  made  a  permanent  building  committee  with  full 
power  and  authority  to  select  plans  and  erect  a  building  thereon.  West- 
ern Star  Lodge  No.  240,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Champaign  Chapter  No.  50, 
E.  A.  M.,  Champaign  Commandery  No.  68,  K.  T.,  each  took  one- 
third  interest  in  said  grounds,  and  agreed  to  share  equally  in  the  build- 
ing. January  22,  1912,  the  building  committee  reported  that  the 
general  contract  had  been  let  to  A.  W.  Stoolman,  who  commenced 
operations  without  delay. 

Wednesday,  September  4,  1912,  the  cornerstone  of  this  magnificent 
building  was  laid  by  the  Grand  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Delmar  D. 
Darrah,  G.  M. 

November  24,  1913,  the  three  Masonic  bodies  created  the  Masonic 
board  of  control  and  invested  it  with  the  full  supervision  and  manage- 
ment of  the  temple. 

January  2,  1914,  said  board  of  control  accepted  the  custody  of  the 
temple  and  found  an  indebtedness  of  $74,556.  The  building  committee 
was  subsequently  relieved  and  discharged. 

Thursday,  January  8,  1914,  this  magnificent  Masonic  home  was 
dedicated  by  the  Grand  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Henry  T.  Burnap,  G.  M., 
and  the  first  meeting  of  our  lodge  held  therein  immediately  afterwards. 

On  March  23,  1914,  the  Commandery  sold  one-half  of  its  interest 
to  the  lodge,  thus  making  the  relative  proportions  of  ownership  one- 
half,  one-third  and  one-sixth,  and  the  appointment  of  the  board  of 
control  to  be  4,  3,  2,  respectively. 

The  worshipful  masters  of  the  lodge  have  been  (under  dispensation)  : 
1858,  A.  M.  Whitney;  1859-60-61-62-63,  Nat  C.  Beasley;  1864,  C.  F. 


420  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Columbia;  1865,  Nat  G.  Beasley;  1866-67-68-69,  L.  W.  Faulkner;  1870- 
71-72,  Isaiah  H.  Hess;  1873,  Charles  E.  Baker;  1874-75-76-77,  George 
Scroggs;  1878,  H.  J.  Dunlap;  1879-80-81-82-83-84-85-86-87,  Edwin  A. 
Kratz;  1888,  H.  J.  Dunlap;  1889-90-91-92,  Joseph  O'Brien;  1893,  J. 
B.  A.  Collan;  1894-95-96,  John  S.  Wolfe;  1897,  T.  J.  Baddeley;  1898- 
99-00-01-02,  Joseph  P.  Gulick;  1903-04-05,  Henry  W.  Berks;  1906-07, 
Boyd  S.  Elaine;  1908,  A.  D.  Mulliken;  1909-10,  F.  M.  Brown;  1911; 
Henry  W.  Berks;  1912,  D.  G.  Swannell;  1913,  Alonzo  P.  Kratz;  1914, 
M.  J.  A.  Fluck;  1915,  J.  E.  Filson;  1916,  F.  R.  Smedley. 

Prior  to  1898  the  elections  were  held  in  December.  Since  that  time 
they  have  been  held  in  June.  F.  I.  Fleming  is  the  present  senior  war- 
den; Edwin  V.  Kratz,  junior  warden;  T.  J.  Baddeley,  treasurer,  and 
0.  F.  Miller,  secretary. 

Champaign  Chapter  No.  50,  R.  A.  M.,  was  organized  under  dispen- 
sation March  3,  1859,  with  the  following  elective  officers:  High  priest, 
Jacob  P.  Gauch;  king,  William  Munhall;  scribe,  Lavius  Fillmore;  sec- 
retary, John  B.  Thomas;  treasurer,  William  Stewart.  The  following 
have  since  served  as  heads  of  the  chapter:  Nat  C.  Beasley,  1863-67; 
A.  W.  Beasley,  1868 ;  James  M.  Healey,  1869 ;  H.  J.  Dunlap,  1870-78 ; 
E.  N.  McAllister,  1879-88;  Edwin  A.  Kratz,  1889-94;  L.  W.  Faulkner, 
1895-99 ;  Seely  Brown,  1900-05 ;  Henry  W.  Berks,  1906-07 ;  Edward  C. 
Ireland,  1908;  George  E.  Cogswell,  1909-10;  D.  B.  Wright,  1911-12; 
E.  A.  Gardner,  1913-14;  F.  S.  Coogler,  1915;  S.  L.  Fleming,  1916; 
J.  G.  Gulick,  1917.  The  present  officers,  besides  Mr.  Gulick,  high 
priest,  are:  B.  L.  Kirk,  scribe;  J.  J.  Dallenbach,  treasurer;  A.  C.  Sing- 
busch,  secretary.  The  chapter  has  a  membership  of  about  270. 

The  Masons  also  number  as  their  active  bodies  at  Champaign :  Com- 
mandery  No.  68,  K.  T.,  and  Vesper  Chapter  No.  128,  0.  E.  S.  There 
is  also  what  is  called  Saxa  Rubra  Conclave  No.  2,  Red  Cross  of  Con- 
stantine,  organized  in  1893,  with  J.  B.  A.  Collins  as  first  commander. 
J.  P.  Gulick  is  the  present  head  of  the  conclave,  which  seems  to  be 
more  a  social  body  made  up  of  Masons  than  an  organization  identified 
with  the  rites  of  the  Order. 

The  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  organized  Champaign  Lodge 
No.  333,  October  9,  1866,  with  the  following  officers :  James  A.  Bow- 
ermaster,  N.  G.;  Valentine  Baker,  V.  G.;  G.  N.  Richards,  R.  S.;  E.  B. 
Smith,  C.  S. ;  C.  B.  Whitmore,  treasurer.  At  present  its  elective  officers 
are :  William  Walkington,  N.  G. ;  J.  R.  Cooper,  V.  G. ;  Harry  King, 
R.  S. ;  H.  L.  Babb,  F.  S. ;  W.  H.  Hamersmith,  treasurer.  The  present 
membership  of  the  lodge  is  about  260.  The  Order  is  also  represented 
by  the  following:  Kaulback  Lodge  No.  549,  composed  of  German  mem- 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  421 

bers;  Champaign  Encampment  No.  68;  Canton  Zonar  No.  17,  and 
Triumph  Lodge  No.  410,  Rebekahs. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  have  Valliant  Lodge  No.  130,  and  Unity 
Company  No.  33  (uniformed  rank),  and  the  Pythian  Sisters,  Cham- 
paign Temple  No.  129. 

The  Champaign  Lodge  of  Elks,  No.  398,  have  a  house  and  audi- 
torium on  West  Hill  Street;  the  hall  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles, 
Aerie  No.  563,  is  on  North  Neil  Street;  the  Knights  of  Columbus  meet 
at  St.  Mary's  School  on  East  Park  Avenue;  the  Foresters'  Court, 
Watago  No.  3251,  assembles  in  Carpenter's  Hall;  the  Moose  lodge  on 
the  third  floor  of  the  Imperial  building;  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  at  Nelson's  Hall  on  Main  Street,  and  Colonel  Nodine  Post 
No.  140,  G.  A.  R.,  at  its  hall  on  North  Walnut  Street.  There  are  also 
several  lodges  composed  of  colored  men  and  women,  such  as  the  Grand 
United  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Household  of  Ruth,  the  Sisters  of 
the  Holy  Cross,  and  the  Pilgrim  Knights  of  the  World. 

The  Twin  Cities  Federation  of  Labor,  with  headquarters  in  Urbana, 
is  represented  by  eighteen  labor  organizations,  the  membership  of  which 
is  drawn  from  Champaign  and  Urbana. 


CHAPTER  XII 
URBANA  TOWNSHIP  AND  CITY 

MALE  AND  FEMALE  SEMINARY — ABSORBED  BY  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYS- 
TEM— ANOTHER  SEMINARY  PROJECT — CIVIL  WAR  BARS  PROGRESS — 
THE  INSTITUTE  AS  THE  FORERUNNER  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY — PERIOD 
OF  UPS  AND  DOWNS — LEADING  UP  TO  THE  CITY  OF  URBANA — ORIG- 
INAL CORPORATE  LIMITS  AND  FIRST  ELECTION — URBANA'S  MAYORS 
— THE  CITY  HALL  AND  DEPARTMENTS — CRYSTAL  LAKE  PARK — 
LEAL  AND  CARLE  PARKS — PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  OF  URBANA — THE  HIGH 
SCHOOL — THE  URBANA  FREE  LIBRARY — THE  LOCAL  PRESS — EARLY 
PREACHERS  IN  THE  URBANA  NEIGHBORHOOD — REV.  JAMES  HOLMES, 
PIONEER  METHODIST — COMING  OF  REV.  S.  W.  D.  CHASE — FIRST 
M.  E.  CLASS  AND  CHURCH — DR.  MCELROY'S  STATEMENT — PRESENT 
FIRST  M.  E.  CHURCH — REV.  WILLIAM  MUNHALL — FIRST  BAPTIST 
CHURCH  —  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  —  THE  UNIVERSALIST 
CHURCH — FIRST  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH — TRINITY  M.  E.  (UNIVER- 
SITY) CHURCH — ST.  PATRICK'S  CHURCH — THE  UNITARIAN  CHURCH 
—UNIVERSITY  BAPTIST  CHURCH— MCKINLEY  MEMORIAL  CHURCH 
— CUNNINGHAM  CHILDREN'S  HOME — EARLY  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  OF 
URBANA — BANKS  AND  INDUSTRIES — URBANA  SOCIETIES. 

Urbana  was  located  and  platted  as  the  county  seat  when  railroads 
were  weird  and  untried  "contraptions,"  viewed  with  dread  by  the  aver- 
age farmer  and  countryman  as  an  amorphous  vampire  which  drew  the 
lifeblood  from  a  given  territory  and  left  nothing  but  paper  towns  and 
ruined  hopes  behind.  Its  future  was  based  upon  its  accessibility  to  the 
settlements — actual  and  potential — within  the  country  designated  as 
Champaign  County;  such  accessibility  to  be  determined  by  condition  of 
the  average  turnpike  and  country  road  of  the  '30s,  and  by  a  conserva- 
tive forecast  of  the  extension  of  the  facilities  for  outside  communica- 
tion. Urbana  was  nearly  in  the  territorial  center  of  the  county,  and 
seemed  the  most  convenient  point  to  reach  from  the  groves  and  timber 
lands  which  were  the  early  sensible  areas  of  settlement.  Consequently, 
Urbana  was  founded  where  it  is,  and  was  not  brought  to  a  sense  of 
its  original  near-sightedness  until  the  place  had  jogged  along  for  twenty 
years. 

422 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  423 

In  the  meantime,  the  locality  had  acquired  a  sort  of  political  and 
intellectual  aristocracy,  which  it  retains  largely  to  this  day,  because  of 
the  fact  that  so  many  able  men  collected  at  the  county  seat  of  justice 
and  became  also  prominent,  at  a  later  day,  in  founding  the  University 
of  Illinois  within  its  corporate  limits. 

MALE  AND  FEMALE  SEMINARY 

In  the  early  '50s,  when  it  became  evident  that  the  Illinois  Central 
was  to  have  a  station  to  the  west  of  Urbana  proper,  the  citizens  of  the 
old  town  bestirred  themselves  to  consolidate  the  already  material  gains 
of  their  place  as  an  educational  center.  Danville,  Paris,  Marshall  and 
Shelbyville,  county  seats  to  the  near  south  and  east,  had  seminaries  of 
learning,  and  why  should  not  Urbana?  As  early  as  1852,  the  Urbana 
Male  and  Female  Seminary  was  established  under  the  nominal  patron- 
age of  the  Methodist  Church,  although  it  was  liberally  encouraged  by 
citizens  of  all  sects  and  of  none.  James  S.  Busey  gave  a  block  as  a 
building  site — the  same  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Oregon  Street 
public  school,  and  in  the  fall  of  1855,  while  the  foundations  of  the 
Free  School  law  were  being  laid,  the  handsome  two-story  seminary 
building  was  completed.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  structure  was  a  large 
assembly  hall,  and  in  the  lower  part  the  recitation  rooms.  Eev.  John 
M.  Miller,  an  able  educator,  was  brought  from  Kentucky  to  take  charge 
of  the  enterprise,  but  died  within  the  succeeding  six  months. 

ABSORBED  BY  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  SYSTEM 

Within  the  following  two  years  Prof.  A.  M.  Wheeler  and  Eev.  L. 
Janes,  both  successful  teachers,  became  its  principals;  but  when  Thomas 
E.  Leal,  who  was  chosen  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  1857,  com- 
menced his  reorganization  of  the  county  schools  under  the  new  law,  the 
seminary  went  by  the  board,  and  in  May,  1858,  the  citizens  of  Urbana 
voted  in  favor  of  purchasing  the  Urbana  Male  and  Female  Seminary 
for  a  free  public  school.  For  that  purpose  it  was  voted  to  tax  the 
school  district  $5,000.  The  seminary  at  Homer  went  the  same  way; 
went  to  strengthen  the  system  of  the  public  schools. 

ANOTHER  SEMINARY  PROJECT 

Early  in  1859,  soon  after  the  absorption  of  the  Urbana  Male  and 
Female  Seminary  into  the  public  school  system,  Eev.  Jonathan  C. 


FIRST  SCHOOL  HOUSE  IN  WEST  URBANA  (1854) 


THE  PKKKIXS  Si. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  425 

Stoughton  of  Freeport,  Illinois,  and  two  capitalistic  associates  planned 
to  plat  a  town  addition  west  of  Urbana,  sell  off  some  of  its  lots  and 
from  the  proceeds  erect  a  seminary  or  college  building  within  the  tract 
thus  exploited.  Enthusiastic  meetings  were  held  both  in  Urbana  and 
West  Urbana — Dr.  C.  A.  Hunt  of  the  former  and  Dr.  J.  W.  Scroggs 
of  the  railroad  town,  being  especially  prominent.  By  July,  1860,  the 
Urbana  Clarion  was  able  to  announce  that  "the  construction  of  an 
educational  building  180  feet  front  by  80  feet  deep,  five  stories  high 
above  the  basement,  between  Urbana  and  the  depot,  is  now  a  fixed 
fact."  Further:  "The  building  is  to  be  located  on  the  open  space 
between  the  towns,  twenty  or  thirty  rods  from  the  Urbana  Railroad, 
which  will  render  it  easy  of  access  to  students  in  either  place;  and  if 
but  one-half  the  benefits  anticipated  are  realized,  it  will  do  very  much 
to  render  our  town  and  county  a  desirable  place  of  residence.  A  school 
of  a  high  order  is  very  much  needed  in  this  part  of  the  state,  it  being 
almost  entirely  destitute  of  any  but  common  school  facilities." 

CIVIL  WAH  BARS  PROGRESS 

In  1859,  the  Urbana  Railroad  had  been  chartered  to  build  a  line 
between  the  two  towns  and  eastward,  but  the  work  of  grading  the  line 
between  Urbana  and  Champaign  had  been  only  partially  completed 
when  the  Civil  War  blocked  the  project  until  1863.  The  war  also 
stopped  the  erection  of  the  building  of  the  Urbana  and  Champaign 
Institute.  WThile  the  enterprise  was  thus  hovering  in  the  balance,  Dr. 
Hunt  (in  July,  1862)  suggested  that  the  partially  completed  building 
could  be  turned  over  to  the  proposed  Agricultural  College  under  the 
Morrill  act  and  adapted  to  its  uses.  The  idea  grew  in  favor,  so  that 
by  the  fall  of  1865  a  committee  of  investigation  from  the  General 
Assembly  reported  in  its  favor. 

THE  INSTITUTE  AS  THE  FORERUNNER  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 

As  the  seminary  building  eventually  became  the  mother  of  the  large 
and  imposing  progeny  of  university  buildings,  its  description,  while 
still  unfinished,  is  interesting.  "The  Urbana  and  Champaign  Institute," 
says  the  account  of  a  local  paper,  "is  a  substantial  brick  building  with 
stone  foundation,  standing  on  a  beautiful  elevation  about  one-half  mile 
from  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  at  Champaign  City,  and  about  an 
equal  distance  from  Urbana,  the  county  seat  of  Champaign  County. 


426  HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

The  whole  structure  is  beautiful  in  its  architectural  proportions  and 
very  imposing  in  its  appearance.  The  main  building  is  125  feet  front 
by  40  feet  in  depth,  and  five  stories  high.  From  the  center  a  wing 
projects  forty-four  by  seventy  feet  four  stories  high.  The  front  wall 
has  a  projection,  eight  feet  by  forty,  with  pilasters  and  towers  orna- 
menting the  corners.  The  inside  of  the  building  is  unfinished,  and 
may  be  somewhat  modified  from  the  original  plan.  The  walls  are 
without  a  crack  or  blemish.  The  building  is  under  contract  to  be 
wholly  finished  at  the  expense  of  the  county  in  the  early  part  of  the 
coming  summer." 

The  fight  for  the  location  at  Urbana  was  a  long  one,  but  virtually 
decided  by  the  election  of  C.  R.  Griggs,  of  that  place,  as  a  representa- 
tive in  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  and  an  enthusiastic  champion 
of  the  Champaign  County  location.  After  passing  both  houses,  the  bill 
fixing  the  site  of  the  Industrial  University  was  approved  by  Governor 
Oglesby  in  February,  1867. 

PERIOD  OF  UPS  AND  DOWNS 

Although  the  Urbana  Eailroad  was  opened  to  Champaign  in  August, 
1863,  its  stock  was  rolled  by  mules.  But  in  1870  the  town  at  last 
secured  steam  railway  connections  by  the  completion  of  the  Danville, 
Urbana,  Bloomingtorr  &  Pekin  Eailroad.  Then,  with  the  coming  of 
the  railroad  and  the  firm  establishment  of  the  Industrial  University  at 
its  very  doorway,  when  things  seemed  really  to  be  looking  up,  came  the 
destructive  fire  of  October  9,  1871.  While  the  great  conflagration  at 
Chicago  raged,  in  proportion  to  the  area  of  the  place  the  fire  at  Urbana 
seemed,  at  the  time,  equally  disastrous.  From  the  Whitcomb  residence, 
at  the  corner  of  Market  and  High  streets,  it  was  driven  northward  to 
the  railroad  track,  only  two  houses  escaping  destruction.  Within  a 
few  months,  however,  better  buildings  arose  to  replace  those  burned; 
so  that,  on  the  whole,  the  early  '70s  mark  the  commencement  of 
Urbana's  continuous  growth.  Its  development  has  been  steady,  chiefly 
as  a  clean,  healthful,  orderly  residence  city,  possessing  social  and  edu- 
cational advantages  of  a  high  order,  not  crowded  by  a  miscellaneous 
industrial  populace,  or  besmirched  by  belching  and  unsightly  factories. 
Its  stores  furnish  the  necessities,  comforts  and  luxuries  desired  by  the 
community,  and  its  banks  every  financial  facility  required. 

Churches  and  societies  are  numerous  and  well  supported. 


HISTORY   OP   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


LEADING  UP  TO  THE  CITY  OF  URBANA. 


427 


As  has  been  repeatedly  noted,  the  late  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham 
was  for  so  many  years  identified  with  Urbana  and  the  State  University 
that  it  was  particularly  fitting  that  he  should  contribute  "Early  Histor- 
ical Sketches  of  the  City  of  Urbana"  to  the  official  publication  of  the 
corporation  in  1916,  and  that  C.  B.  Holmes,  its  city  clerk  since  May  1, 
1877,  should  complete  its  political  history  to  that  year.  From  these 
reliable  sources  is  extracted  the  running  sketch  which  follows. 

In  the  beginning  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  or  encountered  other 
than  the  vast  expanse  of  prairie,  unbroken  and  untrodden  except  by  the 
wild  Indian.  Across  this  prairie  in  different  direction  and  from  groves 
of  timber  to  other  groves  lay  single  trails,  the  only  roads  or  other  evi- 
dences of  occupation  in  existence.  Wild  Indians,  no  less  wild  than  the 


VIEW  ON  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

scenery  above  described,  were  the  only  occupants,  and  they  changing 
locations  with  the  results  of  wars,  were  for  untold  ages,  before  History 
took  cognizance  of  the  location,  its  only  occupants. 

These  people  made  no  improvements  in  any  country  they  occupied 
other  than  the  trails,  and  for  these  were  indebted  to  the  wild  buffalo, 
their  joint  occupant,  who  in  search  of  pasture  and  saline  springs,  made 
regular  tours  across  the  country,  which  in  time  were  the  Indian  trails 
and  the  white  man's  early  roads. 

These  few  words  tell  the  history  of  Urbana  and  of  Champaign 
County  until  the  coming  of  the  United  States  surveying  corps,  which 


428  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

during  the  summer  of  1822,  under  the  direction  of  the  deputy  surveyor 
general,  Elias  Rector,  surveyed  the  thirty-six  square  miles  which  consti- 
tute the  township  of  Urbana,  and  were  probably  the  first  of  our  race 
who  saw  and  closely  observed  these  scenes;  unless  we  except  some 
possible  white  squatter,  who  had  ventured  unauthorized,  to  set  up  his 
home  hereon.  This  however  was  quite  improbable,  for  not  until  the 
year  1819  was  the  Indian  title  to  this  country  extinguished  and  white 
occupancy  possible. 

In  the  year  1822,  probably  contemporaneously  with  the  survey,  came 
the  first  white  inhabitant  of  the  township,  Runnel  Fielder,  who  set  up 
his  home  in  Section  12,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Urbana, 
During  the  same  year,  but  it  is  believed  a  little  later  in  the  season, 
came  also  William  Tompkins,  who  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first 
permanent  inhabitant  of  the  ground  now  bearing  the  name  "The  City 
of  Urbana !"  The  latter  was  at  first  a  "squatter,"  for  not  until  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1830,  nearly  eight  years  after  his  settlement  thereon,  did  he 
become  the  owner  of  his  home  lot,  which  was  the  west  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  8,  of  the  township.  His  cabin,  the  first 
permanent  structure  erected  within  the  city,  was  located  closely  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  tract,  about  where  the  rear  end  of  the  Courier 
building  now  stands. 

Other  than  the  standing  timber  the  tract  had  little  to  invite  its 
selection  as  a  home  and  the  reason  therefor  must  have  been  its  near- 
ness to  a  spring  of  water  a  few  rods  to  the  southwest,  near  the  front  of 
the  Flat  Iron  building,  but  upon  another  section  of  land.  This  spring, 
from  which  gushed  a  copious  flow  of  water,  had  long  been  the  center 
of  an  Indian  encampment  or  village,  which  extended  many  rods  to  the 
east  and  to  the  southwest.  Here,  when  Tompkins  came,  were  abundant 
evidences  of  Indian  occupancy  in  the  numerous  bones  along  the  creek 
and  of  old  corn  hills  on  the  adjacent  prairie.  Hence  the  name  of  the 
creek, — "Bone-Yard  Branch." 

Tompkins,  soon  after  becoming  the  owner  of  his  home,  sold  the 
same  to  Isaac  Busey,  an  incoming  emigrant  from  Kentucky,  who  was 
not  long  the  only  citizen  of  the  site  of  the  future  city,  for  in  1832  came 
Thomson  R.  Webber,  also  from  Kentucky,  who  built  a  cabin  upon  the 
site  of  the  Webber  home  in  the  east  part  of  Urbana. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Illinois,  at  its  session  of  1833,  established 
by  law  the  county  of  Champaign,  as  it  now  exists,  with  the  provision 
that  commissioners,  who  were  therein  named,  should  locate  the  county 
seat  of  the  new  county  and  that  the  same  should  be  called  "Urbana." 

This  commission  met  in  the  June  following  and  among  several  pro- 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  429 

posed  locations  selected  the  lands  a  short  distance  east  of  the  then 
Busey  home,  where  the  courthouse  now  stands  and  there  drove  the 
stake  which  was  to  be  the  county  seat  and  gave  it  the  legal  name  of 
"Urbana."  This  event  marks  the  first  location  of  that  name  within 
this  territory. 

Lands  given  to  the  county  to  induce  the  location  of  the  county  seat 
by  Isaac  Busey,  William  T.  Webber  and  Col.  M.  W.  Busey  were  soon 
thereafter  platted  around  the  courthouse  square,  received  the  legal  name, 
and  a  sale  of  the  same,  at  auction,  was  advertised  for  an  early  day. 

Thomson  E.  Webber,  who  was  at  the  first  appointed  to  the  clerk- 
ship of  the  Circuit  Court  and  also  as  clerk  of  the  Board  of  County 
Commissioners,  built  a  cabin  across  the  street  west  of  the  square  and 
lived  upon  that  lot  until  driven  therefrom  by  the  great  fire  of  October 
9,  1871. 

The  population  of  the  new  county  at  its  inception  did  not  exceed 
1,000  and  was  probably  much  less,  for  the  official  census  of  1835,  over 
two  years  later  showed  but  1,038  inhabitants. 

At  this  date  there  were  but  two  postoffices  in  the  county,  one, 
Van  Buren,  four  miles  to  the  northeast  of  Urbana,  and  one,  Ludding- 
ton,  two  miles  north  of  Homer.  Urbana  postoffice  was  established 
September  2,  1836,  with  Thomson  E.  Webber  as  postmaster,  who  held 
that  position  for  over  fourteen  years. 

The  first  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  was  held  on  April  6,  1835. 
Nothing  was  done  save  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Webber  as  clerk,  the 
approval  of  official  bonds  and  the  continuance  of  the  only  two  cases  for 
want  of  service.  Mr.  Webber  held  this  office  until  succeeded  by  W.  H. 
Somers  in  1857.  Hon.  James  Harlan  was  presiding  judge. 

The  General  Assembly,  at  its  session  of  1855,  passed  an  act  charter- 
ing the  City  and  an  election  held  on  June  2,  1855,  chose  Hon.  Archa 
Campbell,  Mayor,  and  set  the  municipal  government  in  action. 

ORIGINAL  CORPORATE  LIMITS  AND  FIRST  ELECTION 

By  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  approved 
on  the  14th  day  of  February,  1855,  the  City  of  Urbana,  Illinois,  was 
chartered. 

The  limits  of  said  city  at  that  time  were  fixed  as  follows :  Beginning 
at  a  point  in  center  of  section  9,  thence  west  two  miles,  thence  south 
one  mile,  thence  east  two  miles  and  thence  north  one  mile  to  beginning. 

An  election  was  held  at  the  courthouse  on  the  first  Monday  in 
April,  1885,  "when  and  where  a  majority  of  the  legal  voters,  residing 
within  said  limits,  voted  'for  incorporation.' " 


430  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

Section  3  of  the  chapter  of  said  city  provides  that  "if  a  majority  of 
the  citizens  shall  vote  for  incorporation  the  following  named  persons, 
to-wit :  William  Park,  J.  W.  Jaquith,  W.  N.  Coler,  A.  G.  Carle,  Alonzo 
Lyons,  A.  M.  Whitney,  Moses  Snelling,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall 
meet  at  the  courthouse  on  the  first  Saturday  in  May  and  divide  said 
city  into  wards,  appoint  three  judges  of  election  in  each  ward  and 
appoint  a  day  of  election." 

On  the  5th  day  of  May,  1855,  J.  W.  Jaquith,  W.  N.  Coler,  William 
Park  and  A.  G.  Carle  met  in  the  courthouse  and  divided  the  city  into 
three  wards,  and  called  an  election  to  be  held  in  said  city  on  the  first 
Saturday  in  June,  1855,  for  the  election  of  one  mayor  and  also  two 
aldermen  for  each  of  said  wards. 

At  said  election  Archa  Campbell  was  elected  mayor,  and  for  alder- 
men of  the  first  ward  William  C.  Beck;  second  ward,  John  Gere  and 
Daniel  Jarvis;  third  ward,  E.  Harkness  and  Jesse  D.  Jaquith;  who 
were  installed  "at  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  held  at  the  courthouse  on 
July  14,  1855,"  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  council  held  on  said  date,  the 
council  decided  a  contest  between  Mr.  Harvey  and  Mr.  F.  B.  Sale  for 
alderman  of  the  first  ward  and  declared  Mr.  F.  B.  Sale  elected  to  said 
office,  and  he  was  duly  installed.  Said  council  appointed  Mr.  S.  J. 
Toy  as  city  clerk. 

At  a  special  election  duly  called  and  held  at  the  Pennsylvania  House 
in  the  city  of  Urbana  on  the  19th  day  of  April,  1873,  for  the  purpose  of 
voting  upon  the  proposition  of  the  adoption  by  the  city  of  an  act 
entitled,  "An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Incorporation  of  Cities  and  Vil- 
lages, passed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and 
Approved  April  10,  1872." 

The  vote  for  adoption  of  said  act  at  said  election  was  350  votes, 
and  against  the  adoption  of  said  act,  136  votes. 

The  City  Council  of  the  city  of  Urbana,  Illinois,  at  a  regular  meet- 
ing thereof,  held  on  the  21st  day  of  April,  1873,  upon  the  canvass  and 
declaring  the  result  of  said  election,  adopted  the  following  resolution : 

"Be  it  resolved  by  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Urbana,  That 
we  hereby  declare  said  City,  from  and  after  this  date,  April  21,  1873, 
organized  under  the  General  Law  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  for  its  charter, 
and  the  question  of  minority  representation  in  the  City  Council,  we 
declare  defeated."  , 

Signed —  E.  HALBERSTADT,  Mayor. 

F.  M.  ALLEX,  City  Clerk. 

D.  McKinzie,  L.  A.  McLean,  S.  H.  Busey,  J.  A.  Myers,  J.  II.  Shuck, 
Jas.  Somers,  Aldermen. 


HISTOEY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  431 

URBANA'S  MAYORS 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  mayors  of  the  city:  Archa  Campbell, 
July  14,  1855— June  10,  1856;  Ezekiel  Boyden,  June  10,  1856— June 
22,  1857;  Jesse  W.  Jaquith,  June  22,  1857— June  28,  1858;  E.  Boyden, 
June  28,  1858— June  11,  1859;  C.  A.  Hunt,  June  11,  1859— June  28, 
1861;  Edward  Ater,  June  28,  1861— June  22,  1864;  Jos.  W.  Sim,  June 
22,  1864 — June  4,  1866;  Clark  R.  Griggs,  June  4,  1866 — June  8,  1867; 
Eli  Halberstadt,  June  8,  1867— July  6,  1868;  J.  M.  Davies,  July  6, 
1868— June  23,  1869;  Myron  S.  Brown,  June  23,  1869— June  20,  1870; 
W.  J.  Ermentrout,  June  20,  1870— June  12,  1871;  Eli  Halberstadt, 
June  12,  1871— April  28,  1874;  Royal  A.  Sutton,  April  28,  1874— 
May  3,  1875 ;  J.  T.  Miller,  May  3,  1875— May  7,  1877 ;  A.  P.  Cunning- 
ham, May  7,  1877— April  26,  1880;  S.  T.  Busey,  May  25,  1880— May 
15,  1889;  C.  A.  Besore,  May  15,  1889— May  15,  1891;  Jas.  H.  Brown- 
lee,  May  15,  1891— May  15,  1893;  Wm.  B.  Webber,  May  15,  1893— May 
15,  1895 ;  Geo.  W.  Hubbard,  May  15,  1895— May  15,  1899 ;  Samuel  C. 
Fox,  May  15,  1899— May  15,  1901;  John  A.  Glover,  May  15,  1901- 
May  15,  1903;  John  A.  Glover,  May  15,  1903— May  15,  1905;  Samuel 
C.  Fox,  May  15, 1905— May  15,  1907;  Samuel  W.  Love,  May  15,  1907— 
May  15,  1909;  George  W.  Hubbard,  May  15,  1909— May  1,  1911; 
Franklin  H.  Boggs,  May  1,  1911— May  1,  1913;  Olin  L.  Browder, 
May  1,  1913— May  1,  1915;  Olin  L.  Browder,  May  1,  1915— May  1, 
1917. 

At  the  election  held  May  1,  1917,  the  following  were  elected:  Ches- 
ter W.  Richards,  mayor;  C.  B.  Holmes,  city  clerk;  Theodore  Bercher, 
treasurer;  W.  C.  Maguire,  city  attorney;  TJ.  G.  Martin,  police  magis- 
trate; Rodger  Tyrell,  alderman  from  the  First  Ward;  Thomas  Bishop, 
Second;  Jacob  White,  Third;  Fred  Kirkpatrick,  Fourth;  George  W. 
Exton,  Fifth. 

THE  CITY  HALL  AND  DEPARTMENTS 

The  City  Hall,  which  is  a  plain  brick  building  two  stories  in  height, 
houses  the  municipal  offices  and  the  Council  Chamber,  and  adjoining  it 
is  a  small  building  for  the  accommodation  of  the  fire  department.  The 
apparatus  comprises  a  chemical  hose  and  truck,  a  horse  truck  and  a 
motor  truck.  The  department  is  in  close  touch  with  the  organizations 
of  the  State  University  and  the  City  of  Champaign,  and  has  also  the 
advantage  of  fire  protection  through  the  facilities  of  the  water  works. 
Urbana  and  Champaign  cooperate  further  in  the  operation  of  a 
complete  sanitary  system  of  sewerage,  originally  devised  by  Professor 
A.  N.  Talbot,  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 


432 


HISTORY    OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


CRYSTAL  LAKE  PARK 


In  the  summer  of  1907  a  Park  Board  was  formed  to  take  over, 
improve  and  manage  the  various  public  grounds  within  the  city  limits 
of  Urbana.  The  present  members  are  Justin  S.  Hall  (president), 
Joseph  C.  Blair,  David  C.  Busey,  Albert  Shaff  and  Charles  Fleck;  W. 
E.  Atkinson,  secretary. 

Crystal  Lake  Park  is  the  largest  and  most  beautifully  improved 
recreation  ground  in  Urbana.  It  comprises  sixty-three  acres  of  land- 
scape and  waterways  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  city,  the  main 
entrance  to  the  park  being  at  Lake  and  West  Park  streets.  The  tract 
lies  partly  on  a  hillside  and  partly  in  a  lower  valley  of  broken  surface, 


IN  CRYSTAL  LAKK  PARK 

the  original  creek  having  been  deepened  and  molded  into  a  pretty 
winding  lake.  The  higher  land  is  a  beautiful  grove,  containing  a 
pavilion  and  amusement  hall,  with  many  conveniences  for  amusement 
and  rest.  The  annual  sessions  of  the  Twin  City  Chatauqua  Association 
are  held  at  this  park,  which  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  places  of  the 
kind  in  Eastern  Illinois.  Thirty-nine  acres  of  the  tract  originally  con- 
sisted of  a  private  park  owned  by  B.  F.  Swartz,  about  fifteen  acres  in 
the  northeastern  part  were  donated  by  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham  and 
his  wife,  and  the  balance  was  bought  from  the  judge  and  from  the 
Champaign  County  Fair  and  Driving  Association.  The  buildings  and 
speed-course  of  that  association,  covering  some  seventy-five  acres,  adjoin 
Crystal  Lake  Park  to  the  north. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  433 

LEAL  AND  CARLE  PARKS 

Leal  Park,  of  three  acres,  a  block  west  of  Crystal  Park,  was  laid 
out  in  November,  1907.  Pretty  walks,  lined  with  shrubbery  and  a 
pagoda,  or  rest  house,  are  features  of  that  attractive  breathing  spot. 

Carle  park  of  ten  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city,  is  only 
partially  improved.  It  was  donated  to  the  city  by  Margaret  B.  Morris 
(Mrs.  Carle),  in  October,  1911. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  OF  URBANA 

The  Urbana  schools  were  organized  in  the  early  '50s  by  the  pioneers 
of  this  county  and  have  gradually  grown  from  the  one  room  school  on 
Elm  Street  to  the  present  system  with  seven  buildings  and  seating 
capacity  for  2,200  pupils. 

The  late  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Burrill  was  at  the  head  of  the  ITrbana 
school  system  for  a  short  time  preceding  his  enrollment  as  a  member  of 
the  faculty  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  J.  W.  Hays  served  as  super- 
intendent from  1871  to  1906,  and  Mr.  A.  P.  Johnson  from  1906  to  the 
present  date,  1917. 

On  the  present  site  of  the  Leal  school  was  a  seminary  which  was 
used  in  the  early  '70s  as  the  public  school  of  Urbana.  This  building 
burned  in  1872  and  was  replaced  by  the  old  part  of  the  present  Leal 
building  in  1873.  The  east  and  west  wings  of  this  building  were 
added  later.  At  present  the  Leal  building  contains  twelve  school  rooms. 

The  Lincoln  school  building  of  eight  rooms  was  finished  and  occu- 
pied in  1902,  replacing  the  old  West  ward  four-room  building. 

The  Webber  school  building  of  eleven  rooms  was  completed  and 
occupied  in  April,  1906,  taking*the  place  of  the  old  East  ward  building 
which  is  now  used  as  a  dwelling. 

The  present  Number  Four  school  building  was  erected  in  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1906  and  1907  and  was  occupied  for  school  purposes  in 
the  winter  of  1907.  This  building  is  located  a  mile  east  of  the  city 
limits,  on  a  half  acre  of  ground  donated  to  the  school  district  for  school 
purposes  by  Mr.  Smith. 

The  J.  W.  Hays  school  building  of  four  rooms  was  occupied  on 
March  4,  1909,  and  is  located  upon  eight  lots  of  the  Busey  farm  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  city. 

The  above  grade  buildings  are  modern  and  have  in  addition  to  the 
usual  cloak  rooms,  play  rooms  in  the  basement  suitable  for  games  by 
the  children  in  bad  weather. 

1 — 28 


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HISTORY   OP   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  435 

The  Thornburn  school  building  was  erected  in  1897  on  some  lots  at 
Railroad  and  North  streets,  donated  by  the  late  John  Thornburn  in 
1897  and  was  used  for  high  school  purposes  until  December,  1914, 
when  the  high  school  was  moved  to  its  new  quarters  in  the  present 
High  School  building.  The  Thornburn  building  now  houses  the  depart- 
mental grammar  school  composed  of  seventh  and  eighth  grades,  about 
320  pupils. 

The  school  buildings,  equipments  and  sites  are  valued  at  $337,200. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  the  schools  for  the  year  1916-1917  was 
about  $80,000.  There  was  a  total  enrollment  of  about  2,200  pupils  of 
which  512  were  enrolled  in  high  school.  These  were  taught  and  super- 
vised by  67  teachers. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  academic  subjects  the  following  are  offered 
in  the  Urbana  schools :  Manual  Training,  seventh  and  eighth  grade  and 
high  school;  Domestic  Science,  seventh  and  eighth  grade  and  high 
school;  a  complete  Commercial  course  and  Cafeteria  in  connection  with 
the  high  school. 

In  the  fall  of  1914  all  of  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  were  brought 
to  the  Thornburn  school  and  the  departmental  plan  has  since  been 
used  in  this  school.  The  pupils  are  classed  into  sections  of  nearly  equal 
working  ability  and  each  section  does  as  much  work  as  it  is  able.  Some 
sections  completing  two  years'  work  in  a  year  and  a  half  while  other 
sections  require  two  and  a  half  years  for  the  same  amount  of  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1917  Home  Gardening  Clubs  were  organized  in 
each  grade  school  and  as  a  result  about  120  pupils  are  engaged  in  this 
project.  Each  pupil  must  have  at  least  100  square  feet  in  his  garden 
and  may  have  as  much  more  as  he  can  work.  Three-fourths  of  the 
pupils  have  more  than  250  square  feet  in  garden. 

THE  HIGH  SCHOOL 

The  most  recent  addition  to  Urbana's  public  schools,  the  High 
School,  represents  a  departure  from  the  accepted  "cut  and  dried"  style 
and  plan  which  has  been  in  vogue  for  so  many  years  and  give  a  building 
embodying  recent  ideas  both  in  arrangement  of  plan  and  style  of  design. 

In  place  of  the  former  study  rooms  where  all  pupils  were  assembled 
during  study  hours,  we  find  the  pupil  left  independent  to  work  out  his 
own  schedule.  Lockers  are  provided  in  locker  rooms  on'  the  ground 
floor  for  books,  wraps,  etc.,  and  study  rooms  or  libraries  are  located 
between  the  recitation  rooms  for  each  subject.  For  example,  between 
the  two  recitation  rooms,  for  and  separated  from  them  by  plate  glass 


436  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

partitions,  thus  affording  supervision  from  the  recitation  rooms  in  a 
history,  library  or  study  room  where  the  pupil  goes  to  study  that  sub- 
ject. All  reference  books  for  this  course  are  kept  in  this  room.  The 
assembly  room  is  used  for  opening  exercises  and  for  mass  meetings  only. 
So  much  for  the  plan  of  organization. 

The  building,  a  three-story  fireproof  structure,  faces  its  main 
facade,  about  200  feet  long  to  the  west.  It  is  designed  in  the  Gothic 
style  of  architecture,  which  is  at  once  the  most  dignified  and  appropriate 
style  for  buildings  of  this  character  requiring  special  lighting  features. 
The  exterior  is  of  dark  red  brick  with  Bedford  stone  trimmings. 
Entrance  is  gained  at  the  center  of  the  principal  facade  and  at  either 
end  of  the  main  corridor.  The  central  entrance  leads  to  the  main  or 
first  floor  while  those  at  the  ends  lead  to  the  ground  story. 

The  ground  story  houses  the  Domestic  and  Manual  Arts  depart- 
ments and  mechanical  equipment.  Besides  the  cooking  laboratory, 
model  dining  room,  pantry,  and  sewing  room,  and  a  modern  cafeteria 
are  accommodated  on  this  floor.  Lunches  are  served  each  day  to  about 
100  pupils  at  an  average  cost  per  pupil  per  meal  of  18  cents. 

The  manual  training  rooms,  boiler  room  and  fan  rooms  are  located 
under  the  auditorium  and  stage. 

At  either  side  of  the  stairways  leading  from  the  main  entrance  to 
this  floor  are  the  boys'  and  girls'  locker  rooms  fitted  with  lockers  which 
are  ventilated  directly  into  the  ventilating  system  of  the  building. 

Toilet  rooms  for  both  sexes  are  located  at  opposite  ends  of  the  cor- 
ridor. Directly  across  the  corridor  opposite  the  main  entrance  on  the 
first  floor  is  the  auditorium,  seating  600  on  the  main  floor  and  200  in 
the  balcony  and  is  equipped  with  large  stage  and  dressing  rooms.  At 
either  side  of  the  main  entrance  are  the  principal's  office  and  Superin- 
tendent's office,  the  latter  opening  directly  into  the  board  meeting 
room.  The  remainder  of  the  first  floor  is  given  over  to  the  biological 
laboratory  with  demonstration  and  storage  rooms,  two  recitation  rooms, 
five  class  rooms,  emergency  room  and  boys'  and  girls'  toilet  rooms. 

The  second  floor  contains  the  commercial  group,  physical  and 
chemical  laboratories,  demonstration  rooms,  three  class  rooms,  two 
recitation  rooms,  study  rooms,  library,  and  men  and  women  teachers' 
toilet  rooms.  The  third  floor  occupies  the  tower  over  the  central 
portion  and  is  given  over  to  the  music  and  art  departments. 

All  the  walls  of  toilet  rooms  and  cooking  department  are  of  white 
enameled  brick,  walls  of  locker  rooms  and  laboratories  are  of  brown 
glazed  brick,  and  walls  of  gymnasium  are  of  buff  brick.  Corridors  are 
of  promenade  tile  laid  in  pattern.  The  mechanical  equipment  is  coin- 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  437 

plete  in  every  respect.  Heating  and  ventilation  are  supplied  by  heated 
fresh  air  driven  to  all  parts  of  the  building  by  means  of  a  fan  blower. 
Each  room  is  equipped  with  thermostats  which  automatically  control 
the  heat  supplied  to  the  room  and  keep  the  temperature  constant. 

A  complete  vacuum  cleaning  system  is  installed  in  this  building  so 
that  all  rooms  and  corridors  may  be  thus  cleaned  without  raising  the 
usual  dust  by  sweeping. 

The  gymnasium  wing,  under  construction  at  the  present  time,  is  of 
similar  construction  and  will  accommodate  swimming  pool  with  proper 
means  of  water  purification,  gymnasium  with  running  track,  locker 
and  shower  rooms,  laundry,  team  rooms  and  physical  director's  office 
and  in  addition  will  provide  two  regular  classrooms. 

THE  URBANA  FREE  LIBRARY 

The  parent  body  of  the  Library  Board  was  a  Library  Association 
organized  in  December,  1872,  and  on  February  17  following,  a  reading 
room  was  opened  in  charge  of  James  Williams.  In  June,  1874,  the 
property  was  transferred  to  the  city  of  Urbana,  its  Council  agreeing  to 
maintain,  the  library,  and  in  the  following  month  the  first  Board  of 
Directors  was  elected,  viz :  William  Sim,  J.  M.  McConney,  Frank  G. 
Jaques,  C.  D.  Webster,  J.  W.  Hays,  S.  M.  Morton,  H.  M.  Eussell,  A. 
Van  Tuyl  and  J.  W.  Porter.  At  this  meeting  S.  H.  Hook  was  chosen 
librarian  and  the  institution  was  christened  the  Urbana  Free  Library. 
On  November  1,  1874,  Ida  B.  Hanes  was  elected  librarian  to  succeed 
Mr.  Hook,  and  is  still  holding  the  position.  At  present  there  are  over 
23,000  volumes  in  the  library. 

In  February,  1917,  Mrs.  S.  T.  Busey  offered  the  Board  $35,000  for 
a  new  library  building.  The  gift  was  gratefully  accepted  and  action 
at  once  taken  to  secure  plans.  Ground  was  broken  early  in  the  summer 
of  1917.  The  site  for  the  new  building  cost  over  $12,000;  cost  of 
building  and  furnishings  estimated  at  $55,000. 

The  plans  of  the  Busey  Memorial  Library  show  the  main  front  of 
the  building  on  Eace  Street  as  both  elegant  and  massive.  The  entrance 
is  colonnaded,  with  fifteen-foot  stone  columns  standing  on  either  side 
and  the  doors  are  of  massive  bronze.  The  main  floor  will  be  several 
feet  above  the  street  level  and  the  lower  floor  a  few  feet  below.  On  the 
lower  floor,  at  the  southeast  corner,  is  to  be  a  room  twenty-eight  feet  by 
thirty  feet,  called  the  English  room,  to  be  devoted  to  the  Champaign 
County  Historical  Society.  On  the  north  side  of  the  building  will  be  a 
lecture  room,  seating  200  people,  with  stage,  and  equipment  for  giving 


438  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

illustrated  lectures,  or  plays.     In  the  west  end  of  this  floor  there  is  a 
room  for  book  stacks,  and  an  unpacking  room,  storage  room,  etc. 

The  central  feature  of  the  upper  floor  as  one  may  enter  by  the 
eastern  entrance,  is  a  large  memorial  room,  finished  with  pink  Tennessee 
marble  floors  and  walls,  with  dome  ceiling.  Opening  from  this  main  room 
to  the  south  will  be  a  magazine  room,  children's  reading  room,  and 
cataloging  room.  To  the  north  will  be  general  reading  room,  reference 
room,  and  reference  library. 

At  the  west  end  of  the  Memorial  room  is  the  entrance  to  and  exit 
from  the  book  stacks.  The  stack  room  is  estimated  to  accommodate 
80,000  volumes.  The  library  at  present  numbers  over  25,000  volumes. 

The  building  is  to  be  made  as  nearly  fire  proof  as  is  possible. 
Around  the  outside  on  the  east  and  north  will  be  a  concrete  and  Bed- 
ford stone  terrace,  with  stone  ballustrade.  The  dimensions  of  the 
building  over  all,  will  be  103  feet  6  inches  north  and  south,  by  97  feet 
east  and  west. 

THE  LOCAL  PKESS 

A  county  seat,  wherever  fixed,  is  usually  prolific  of  newspapers;  and 
Urbana  verified  the  rule.  When  the  Illinois  Central  was  projected 
through  the  county,  and  before  the  grading  had  even  commenced, 
Champaign  County  was  viewed  as  a  legitimate,  if  not  promising,  experi- 
mental territory  for  the  venturesome  journalist.  Colonel  William  N. 
Coler,  a  budding  lawyer  and  Democrat,  determined  to  blossom  as  the 
pioneer  editor  of  the  county,  and  formed  a  union  with  Henry  K.  Davis, 
a  practical  printer  and  newspaper  man.  They  purchased  a  small  stock 
of  type  in  Cincinnati,  with  a  little  hand  press,  which  was  hauled  from 
the  Wabash  Canal  on  one  wagon  to  the  courthouse  and  there  temporarily 
planted.  From  that  plant,  on  September  25,  1852,  was  sent  forth  the 
first  number  of  the  Urbana  Union,  in  support  of  Franklin  Pierce,  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  president,  by  Coler  and  Davis,  editors  and  pro- 
prietors. In  two  months  less  two  days  the  firm  was  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Davis  went  on  to  Washington  to  accept  office  under  the  new  administra- 
tion, leaving  Colonel  Coler  to  continue  the  Union  through  its  thirty- 
sixth  number,  when  he  retired  from  editorial  life.  In  July,  1853, 
Benjamin  A.  Eoney,  a  practical  printer,  but  inexperienced  as  an  editor, 
assumed  the  proprietorship,  but  left  suddenly  in  March  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  George  N.  Eichards,  George  W.  Flynn  and  J.  0.  Cunning- 
ham then  entered  the  field.  Messrs.  Flynn  and  Cunningham  estab- 
lished a  branch  office  at  West  Urbana  in  October,  1857,  and  in  August, 
1858,  severed  their  connection  with  the  Union.  David  S.  Crandall 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  439 

and  his  son,  Charles  E.,  talented  newspaper  men  of  Lockport,  New 
York,  bought  the  paper  and  continued  its  publication  until  early  in 
1861,  when  they  sold  to  John  Carrothers,  of  Urbana.  The  various  shift- 
ings  back  and  forth  between  Urbana  and  Champaign  have  already  been 
described.  Mr.  Carrothers  failed  in  1863,  the  Union  returned  to  the 
unwilling  hands  of  the  Crandalls,  was  turned  over  to  Nicolet  &  Schoff, 
who  made  it  a  strong  paper,  and  in  1882  was  moved  to  another  county. 

"Our  Constitution"  was  published  from  July,  1856,  until  the  fall 
of  1859,  when  the  office  was  moved  from  Urbana  to  Champaign;  the 
Urbana  Clarion,  from  October,  1859,  to  the  spring  of  1861,  when  it 
suspended,  and  in  1877  appeared  the  Champaign  County  Herald,  the 
forerunner  of  the  Courier-Herald  of  today.  S.  C.  Harris  and  Company 
were  its  first  publishers.  Andrew  Lewis  then  became  the  sole  owner  of 
the  plant,  selling  in  May,  1879,  to  M.  W.  Mathews  and  C.  B.  Taylor. 
Two  years  later,  Mr.  Mathews,  one  of  the  able  lawyers  and  legislators 
of  the  state,  became  the  sole  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Herald  and 
thus  continued  until  his  death  in  1892.  With  L.  A.  McLean,  an  able 
financial  manager,  as  well  as  a  forceful  writer,  he  made  the  publication 
a  successful  newspaper  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  Under  one  of  the 
provisions  of  Mr.  Mathews'  will  Mr.  McLean  continued  the  publication 
of  the  Herald  in  behalf  of  the  estate,  but  after  three  years  he  retired, 
leaving  it  in  charge  of  John  Gray. 

The  Courier  was  established  in  July,  1894,  by  T.  M.  Morgan,  as  a 
morning  daily  and  weekly  newspaper.  Soon  afterward  S.  W.  Love 
bought  the  plant  and  added  to  its  mechanical  facilities,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1901,  sold  the  establishment  to  Joseph  Ogden  and  Howe  Brown. 
E.  L.  and  John  Wait  and  J.  K.  Groom  became  successively  identified 
with  it,  the  last  named  incorporating  the  business  as  the  Urbana  Courier 
Company.  C.  0.  Carter  then  purchased  an  interest  in  the  office,  and 
the  daily  edition  was  changed  from  morning  to  evening.  In  1904  F. 
E.  Pinkerton,  of  Eantoul,  became  owner  of  the  Courier,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1905,  sold  a  half  interest  in  it  to  George  W.  Martin,  who,  in  1908, 
disposed  of  his  share  to  Frank  C.  McElvain.  Mr.  Pinkerton  disposed 
of  his  interest  to  A.  T.  Burrows  in  December,  1909,  and  in  October, 
1913,  Mr.  McElvain  also  sold  to  Mr.  Burrows.  Since  that  time  the 
consolidated  Courier-Herald  has  been  a  corporation  controlled  by  the 
Burrows  family. 

EARLY  PREACHERS  IN  THE  URBANA  NEIGHBORHOOD 

From  1831  to  1839  preachers  of  various  denominations  held  forth 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Big  Grove,  but  it  was  not  until  the  latter 


440  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

year  that  any  part  of  what  is  now  Champaign  County  had  a  regular 
standing  in  the  religious  field.  At  that  time  it  appears  in  the  Con- 
ference minutes  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  the  Urbana 
Mission. 

Probably  the  first  sermon  ever  delivered  in  the  county  was  by 
John  Dunham,  a  United  Brethren  missionary,  who,  some  time  in  1831, 
preached  at  the  house  of  Matthias  Rhinehart  in  the  Grove.  He  is  said 
to  have  ridden  an  ox  on  his  circuit,  and  it  is  further  intimated  that 
both  were  very  noisy.  Rev.  William  Peters,  "Uncle  Billy,"  lived  in 
Salt  Fork  Timber,  traveled  his  religious  beat  not  long  after  Mr.  Dun- 
ham, and  as  he  had  no  land  upon  which  to  farm  and  help  both  ends 
meet,  is  reported  to  have  helped  pay  his  traveling  expenses  by  buying 
whiskey  on  the  Wabash  at  20  cents  a  gallon  and  retailing  it  on  his 
rounds  at  50  cents.  John  G.  Robertson  was  an  early  Baptist  immigrant 
preacher  from  Kentucky  and  held  meetings  in  the  Big  Grove  and  the 
Sangamon  Timber. 

The  labors  of  Mr.  Robertson  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Baptist  church,  at  the  Brumley  schoolhouse  two  miles  east  of  Urbana, 
in  September,  1838,  and  of  the  Mahomet  church  in  March,  1839.  Rev. 
J.  D.  Newell,  then  residing  at  Waynesville,  DeWitt  County,  was  the 
organizer  of  both  churches. 

REV.  JAMES  HOLMES,  PIONEER  METHODIST 

Rev.  James  Holmes,  who,  in  1835,  came  to  the  Big  Grove  region  to 
build  a  sawmill  for  John  Brownfield,  remained  to  organize  a  class  in 
Methodism,  probably  in  the  winter  of  1836.  While  not  in  Urbana,  the 
class  became  the  germ  of  the  subsequently  formed  Urbana  Mission, 
Urbana  Circuit,  Urbana  Station,  and  the  First  Methodist  Church  of 
Urbana.  Among  its  members  were  Walter  Rhodes  (leader),  and  Mary 
Ann,  his  wife;  Lewis  Adkins  and  his  wife  Nancy;  Susan  Trickle,  sub- 
sequently the  wife  of  James  Kirby;  Sarah  and  Ann  Brownfield;  Alex- 
ander Holbrook,  and  the  preacher  and  his  wife.  A  campmeeting  held 
at  Haptonstall's  mill,  a  mile  below  Urbana,  in  1839,  under  charge  of 
Elder  S.  W.  D.  Chase,  of  the  Bloomington  district,  so  brought  the 
locality  into  notice  that  from  that  time  on,  it  was  known  officially  to 
the  Methodist  Conference  as  the  Urbana  Mission.  Its  territory 
embraced  the  settlements  in  the  Big  Grove  upon  the  Okaw,  the  Ambraw 
and  the  Salt  Fork,  nearly  to  Danville.  Elder  Chase  moved  from  the 
Wabash  country  to  Urbana  in  the  autumn  of  1839  and  thus  became  its 
first  settled  pastor. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  441 

COMING  OF  EEV.  S.  W.  D.  CHASE 

Many  years  afterward  Mr.  Chase  tells  the  story  of  his  coining: 
"My  next  appointment  (1839)  was  Urbana  Mission.  This  caused  a 
move  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  We  were  compelled  to  move  in 
an  ox-wagon,  camp  out  about  half  the  nights  and  take  the  weather  as  it 
came;  so  we  had  rain,  mud  and  storm.  When  we  arrived  in  Urbana 
our  goods  were  all  wet,  a  fierce  wind  blowing  from  the  northwest  and 
no  empty  house  in  town.  We  took  up  lodging  for  a  few  days  with 
Simon  Motes,  in  his  cabin  in  the  north  part  of  the  village.  The  little 
society  and  friends  had  put  up  the  body  of  a  hewed  log  cabin  with 
rafters,  but  no  roof,  floor  or  chimney. 

"I  organized  a  society  four  miles  north  of  Urbana  at  Esquire 
Rhodes';  another  east  of  Rhodes'  three  miles  at  the  house  of  John  Gilli- 
land;  another,  down  east  of  Urbana  ten  miles,  at  Widow  Bartley's;  and 
still  another  east  of  that  on  the  main  road  leading  to  Danville  at  Pogue's. 
Then  to  old  Homer. 

"My  first  visit  to  Homer  was  on  Sabbath  morning,  hunting  a  place 
to  preach,  but  there  was  neither  hall,  schoolhouse,  church  nor  empty 
house;  so  the  prospect  was  gloomy.  At  last  a  gentleman  remarked: 
'Do  you  see  that  little  white  house  in  the  north  part  of  the  village?' 
I  said,  'Yes.'  'Well,'  said  he,  they  have  dances  there;  maybe  you  might 
get  in  there.'  So  I  went  and  stated  my  business.  'Well/  said  the 
doctor  (Dr.  Harmon  Stevens),  'we  have  dances  twice  a  week  here.  I 
don't  know  how  that  would  work.  What  do  you  think  of  it,  wife?' 
'Well,'  said  she,  'I  don't  know.'  I  said,  'You  don't  dance  on  the  Sab- 
bath.' 'No,'  said  the  doctor.  'Well,  then/  I  said,  'let  me  preach  on 
Sunday;  we'll  have  no  friction.'  So  they  consented.  Before  the  year 
was  out  the  doctor  and  his  wife  professed  religion  and  joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  and  we  organized  a  society.  I  never  knew  what 
became  of  those  dancers. 

"I  then  organized  a  church  in  Sidney.  I  went  from  Urbana  to 
Sadorus  Grove,  fifteen  miles,  without  a  house  to  stop  at,  making  .it 
a  cold  ride  in  bad  weather.  Nine  miles  below,  or  south  of,  Sadorus, 
at  John  Haines',  we  had  a  small  society.  Five  miles  below  on  the 
Okaw  was  where  William  Brian  lived  in  a  small  cabin.  Here  we 
organized  a  society.  Continuing  down  the  river  five  miles,  we  came 
to  Old  Father  West's.  Here  we  organized  another  society.  Still  con- 
tinuing south  we  came  to  Flat  Branch,  where  we  organized  another 
society  in  the  cabin  of  John  and  Sarah  Poorman.  We  are  now  forty 
miles  south  of  Urbana.  This  entire  round  was  made  every  three  weeks. 


442  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

"In  1840  we  put  up  the  frame  of  a  small  church,  thirty  by  forty 
feet,  in  Urbana  and  inclosed  it;  and  in  the  fall,  as  I  was  leaving  for 
my  next  appointment,  I  was  sued  for  the  shingles  that  went  on  the 
church. 

"It  was  at  a  campmeeting,  one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Urbana 
(at  Haptonstall's),  that  Jake  Heater,  said  to  be  the  bully  of  the  county, 
got  under  strong  convictions.  He  was  told  to  go  to  the  altar  and  pray 
and  he'd  feel  better.  So  Jake  went  and  kneeled  down,  and  his  prayer 
was :  'Oh,  Lord  God,  rim-rack  and  center  shake  the  divil's  kingdom.' " 

It  was  in  this  manner,  and  with  such  a  field  and  the  material 
furnished  by  the  rough  pioneers,  that  this  pioneer  preacher  laid  the 
foundations  for  the  Christian  civilization  we  now  enjoy. 

FIRST  METHODIST  CLASS  AND  CHURCH 

Among  the  names  of  those  who  joined  the  first  class  organized  at 
Urbana  are  Jacob  W.  Slater  and  Eebecca,  his  wife;  Samuel  Motz  and 
Sarah,  his  wife ;  Mrs.  Benedict  and  Simeon  Motz.  The  parsonage  occu- 
pied by  the  new  pastor  and  his  family,  already  partly  prepared,  was 
finished  with  split-board  roof  and  floors,  mud  and  stick  chimney,  and 
not  long  afterward  a  little  house  of  worship  was  commenced  on  the 
lot  donated  by  the  county  commissioners,  on  the  south  side  of  Elm 
Street,  between  Market  and  Eace. 

Judge  Cunningham  continues:  "So  far  as  known  no  subscription 
paper  figured  in  the  transaction,  perhaps  for  the  reason  that  there  was 
little  money  in  those  days  with  which  to  meet  obligations.  In  Mrs. 
Nancy  Webber's  timber  was  plenty  of  material  and  the  muscle  neces- 
sary to  transform  it  into  a  building  was  at  hand.  So  pastor  and 
people,  alike  muscular  and  zealous,  turned  out  and,  with  axes,  went  to 
the  woods,  cut,  scored  and  hewed  out  the  timbers,  studding  and  rafters 
from  the  standing  trees.  Logs  for  lumber  for  siding  were  likewise  cut 
and  hauled  to  Colonel  Busey's  saw-mill,  then  doing  business  upon  the 
creek  just  above  Crystal  Lake  Park,  from  the  water  power  there  fur- 
nished. The  shingles  were  bought  upon  a  promise  to  pay  from  a  manu- 
facturer near  by,  and  in  a  few  weeks  the  structure  was  reared  and 
enclosed,  but  neither  floored  nor  plastered,  except  that  the  pulpit  space 
and  the  "Amen  corners"  were  floored. 

"In  this  condition,  with  neither  windows  nor  doors  and  with  no 
other  seats  than  those  afforded  by  the  uncovered  sleepers  of  joists,  hewn 
upon  the  upper  side,  was  the  structure  occupied  by  a  worshipping  con- 
gregation for  the  first  summer  and  perhaps  for  a  longer  period  when 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  443 

the  weather  permitted.  It  was  not  until  1843  that  the  building  was 
finally  completed  according  to  the  original  plan,  being  floored,  plastered 
and  seated  with  rude  slab  benches.  This  final  work  had  been  done  by 
free  contributions  of  labor  and  materials.  It  is  said  that  Colonel 
Busey  gave  the  flooring,  Archa  Campbell  the  glass  and  Matthias  Carson, 
a  skilled  mechanic,  the  window  sash  and  door.  In  its  finished  condi- 
tion it  was  unpainted,  both  inside  and  outside,  until  two  zealous  sisters, 
Harriet  Harvey  and  Susan  Cantner,  with  discriminating  zeal  for  out- 
side appearance,  unassisted  by  anyone,  whitewashed  the  entire  outside 
of  the  house  as  well  as  the  rough  plastering  on  the  inside,  using  a 
preparation  of  lime  and  other  ingredients,  including  among  them  salt. 
The  building  looked  well  in  its  coat  of  whitewash,  but  the  town  cows, 
then  quite  numerous,  lost  to  all  reverence  for  the  sacred  character  of 
the  structure,  were  tempted  by  the  salt  to  lick  the  clapboards,  which 
they  persisted  in  doing  so  long  as  the  saline  taste  remained.  At  times, 
owing  to  this  practice  of  the  cows,  a  worshipping  congregation  was 
disturbed  and,  to  secure  their  legal  rights,  it  became  necessary  to  station 
a  guard  of  boys  upon  the  outside  during  service. 

"This  building,  in  the  condition  above  described,  was  alternately 
used  as  a  place  of  worship,  as  a  schoolhouse  and,  in  cases  of  great  neces- 
sity, it  housed  homeless  and  destitute  families  until  the  stress  of  cir- 
cumstance passed,  and  they  could  be  housed  elsewhere.  Mr.  James 
Kerr,  of  Urbana,  relates  that  when,  in  the  autumn  of  1851,  he,  with 
his  father,  A.  M.  Kerr  (for  a  term  of  years  coroner  of  Champaign 
County)  came  with  a  family  of  ten  persons,  immigrants  from  Tennessee 
to  Urbana,  they  found  no  friendly  door  opened  to  them,  and  in  their 
distressed  condition — most  of  them  being  sick — were  very  glad  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  permission  given  by  those  having  this  building  in 
charge,  to  spread  their  beds  upon  its  floor  and  remain  until,  somewhat 
recovered  from  their  weariness  and  chills,  they  were  enabled  to  find 
other  accommodations. 

"It  is  said  that  the  first  minister  who  occupied  this,  the  first  church 
building  erected  in  the  county,  after  its  completion,  was  Eev.  W.  D. 
Gage,  who  was  appointed  to  the  Urbana  circuit  in  1843.  This  building 
continued  the  one  church  house  of  the  county  for  some  years,  open,  as 
occasion  demanded,  to  the  use  of  such  other  denominations  as  desired 
its  use,  until  the  year  1856,  when  a  new  building  was  erected  and  the 
old  one  was  converted  into  a  livery  barn. 

"The  class  formed  in  the  neighborhood  north  of  Urbana  by '  Eev. 
James  Holmes,  subsequently  built  a  small  church  building  for  their 
use  which  was  erected  near  the  center  of  Section  27,  in  Somer  Town- 


444  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ship,  and  was  the  first  of  the  many  country  churches  erected  in  the  rural 
districts  of  the  county. 

"Eev.  Arthur  Bradshaw  was  followed  at  Urbana  by  others  of  the 
pioneer  pastors.  The  theology  and  church  discipline  enforced  by  these 
early  preachers  were  of  the  most  stalwart  character,  and  tolerated  no 
failures  to  attend  the  'means  of  grace'  or  other  lapses  from  Wesley's 
rules." 

DR.  MCELROY'S  STATEMENT 

Following  is  the  copy  of  a  letter  written  to  Judge  Cunningham  by 
Dr.  W.  M.  McElroy: 

"My  Dear  Bro.  Cunningham :  I  think  I  can  now  clear  up  the  story 
of  Urbana  Methodism.  James  McKean,  then  on  the  Eugene  Circuit 
(later  Danville  Ct.),  had  an  appointment  and  preached  in  Big  Grove 
in  1829  and  1830.  The  conference  year  beginning  in  the  autumn  of 
1829.  Probably  on  the  east  side  of  the  Grove.  In  the  conference  year 
beginning  in  the  fall  of  1836,  Mr.  Holmes  organized  the  class  four 
miles  north  of  Urbana,  as  stated  in  my  previous  letter.  During  the 
conference  year  beginning  in  1838,  S.  W.  D.  Chase  held  camp  meet- 
ing at  Haptonstall's  Mill.  The  class  you  mention  of  which  Simon 
Motz  was  leader,  was  organized  before  Bradshaw  came,  probably  after 
the  camp  meeting, — maybe  before.  There  was  a  class  at  John  Gilli- 
land's,  seven  miles  northeast  of  Urbana,  another  ten  miles  east,  at 
Widow  Bartley's,  another  at  Pogue's,  ten  miles  east  on  the  Danville 
road.  These  classes  were  in  existence  before  Bradshaw's  term,  in  all 
probability,  and  were  not  organized  by  him." 

LATER  PROGRESS  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

Early  in  the  '50s,  because  of  the  continuous  growth  of  the  society,  a 
movement  was  set  on  foot  to  provide  a  larger  church  building,  and  on 
July  27,  1855,  the  cornerstone  of  the  new  structure  was  laid.  The 
following  year  it  was  inclosed  and  finally  completed  and  dedicated  in 
1859-,  Eev.  Peter  Cartwright  officiating. 

About  1890  a  movement  was  started  to  meet  the  growing  demands 
of  the  society  for  better  church  facilities,  which  languished  for  many 
months,  or  until  December  17,  1892,  when  J.  C.  Sheldon,  president  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  came  to  the  rescue  with  an  offer,  which  was 
gratefully  accepted,  to  erect  and  enclose  the  walls,  leaving  the  society 
and  its  friends  to  complete  the  building.  Subscriptions  were  by  this 
generous  offer  greatly  stimulated,  and  the  old  building  was  turned  over 
to  the  demolishers  March  4,  1893,  the  last  service  being  held  there 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  445 

March  3d.  The  present  structure  was  dedicated  March  25,  1894,  free 
from  debt  of  any  kind.  It  cost  $21,150  exclusive  of  the  pipe  organ,  which 
cost  $3,500. 

Successive  pastors:  1839,  A.  Bradshaw;  1840,  J.  W.  Parsons;  1841, 
A.  Bradshaw  (second  term) ;  1842,  L.  Oliver;  1843,  W.  D.  Gage;  1844, 
A.  S.  Goddard;  1845,  J.  Fox;  1846,  W.  Pitner;  1847,  C.  J.  T.  Tolle; 
1848,  W.  G.  Moore;  1849,  J.  C.  Long;  1853-4,  W.  E.  Johnson;  1855, 
W.  F.  T.  Spruill;  1856-7,  W.  H.  H.  Moore;  1858,  M.  Butler;  1859,  A. 
Semple;  1860-1,  A.  S.  McCoy;  1862-3,  W.  B.  Anderson;  1864,  B.  Hun- 
gerford;  1865,  W.  H.  Webster;  1866,  A.  S.  McCoy  (second  term); 
1867-8,  J.  G.  Little;  1869,  J.  Shaw;  1870,  W.  H.  H.  Moore  (second 
term);  1871-2-3,  D.  Gay;  1874-5-6,  W.  F.  T.  Spruill  (second  term); 
1877,  D.  Gay  (second  term) ;  1878,  P.  C.  Carroll;  1879,  M.  A.  Hewes; 
1880-1-2,  J.  Miller;  1883-4-5,  A.  C.  Byerly;  1886-7,  E.  Mclntyre; 
1888,  R.  G.  Hobbs;  1889,  F.  Crane;  1890,  F.  C.  Bruner;  1891-2,  M.  D. 
Hornbeck;  1893-4,  U.  Z.  Gilmer;  1894-8,  J.  F.  Wohlfarth;  1898-1904, 
J.  W.  Miller;  1904-1908,  A.  S.  Flannigan;  1908-1909,  H.  C.  Gibbs; 
1909-1915,  R.  F.  McDaniel;  1915-1916,  A.  C.  Piersel;  1916-17,  W.  F. 
Pitner. 

REV.  WILLIAM  MUNHALL 

Among  those  identified  with  Methodism  in  the  earlier  days  of  the 
county  was  Rev.  William  Munhall,  an  eloquent  and  classical  preacher, 
who  often  filled  the  pulpit  of  the  Urbana  church  and  others  in  the 
county.  But  he  seems  to  have  been  too  much  a  man  of  affairs  to  confine 
his  activities  to  church  matters  alone.  He  served  as  county  treasurer 
and  assessor  in  the  late  '50s,  and  was  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Urbana 
Clarion  and  Champaign  County  Democrat  during  a  portion  of  the 
Civil  War  period.  He  was  intensely  loyal,  a  stalwart  Union  man  and, 
in  every  respect,  a  good  citizen  and  Christian  man.  He  died  while 
visiting  a  sister  in  Cleveland,  March  9,  1864,  his  remains  being  brought 
for  interment  to  Mount  Hope  Cemetery,  Urbana.  William  H.  Mun- 
hall, a  son,  moved  to  Champaign  in  1865,  having  mastered  the  printer's 
trade  in  Cleveland.  He  was  identified  with  the  Gazette  printing 
office  for  twenty-eight  years,  afterward  was  the  head  of  the  Munhall 
Printing  House,  and  died  May  23,  1917. 

THE  FIRST  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

The  Baptist  society  which  was  organized  at  Brumley's  schoolhouse, 
two  miles  east  of  Urbana,  held  its  meeting  therein  for  more  than  a 


446  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

decade,  when  its  headquarters  were  changed  to  the  county  seat  and  it 
became  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Urbana.  In  1856  the  church 
erected  a  house  of  worship  on  Cunningham  Avenue,  the  second  build- 
ing of  the  kind  in  the  county,  and  the  first  in  the  county  to  have  a  bell. 
The  "Urbana  Union,"  of  September  27,  1855,  has  the  following  real 
news  item :  "The  bell  for  the  new  Baptist  church  has  arrived,  and  will 
soon  send  forth  its  mellow  peals  to  vibrate  over  the  prairies  as  often 
reminding  us  of  the  persevering  and  noble-hearted  efforts  of  the  ladies 
of  Urbana,  through  whose  efforts  alone  the  purchase  has  been  made. 
The  bell  is  one  of  beautiful  tone  and  will  tend  much  to  enliven  our 
place,  especially  on  Sabbath  mornings  when  we  shall,  henceforth,  be 
greeted  by  the  welcome  sounds  of  the  'church  going  bell.' "  The  edifice 
now  occupied  was  erected  in  1895  and  stands  upon  the  site  of  the  little 
church  of  1856.  It  has  a  present  membership  of  more  than  700. 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Urbana  was  organized  in  Sep- 
tember, 1850,  by  Rev.  John  A.  Steele,  under  authority  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Palestine,  Crawford  County.  Its  original  members  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robert  Dean,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solomon  Campbell,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Adam  Karr  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  J.  Rea.  The  house  of  worship  in 
use  on  West  Green  Street  was  erected  in  1900.  Rev.  John  J.  Wilson  is 
the  pastor  in  charge. 

UNIVERSITY  BAPTIST  CHURCH 

The  University  Baptist  Church  of  Urbana  was  organized  in  the 
fall  of  1912  by  the  Illinois  Baptist  State  Conference.  Its  membership 
of  300  is  drawn  entirely  from  the  students  of  the  University.  Rev. 
Martin  S.  Bryant  is  pastor.  For  four  years  services  were  held  in  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  auditorium,  but  in  November,  1916,  a  church  building  was 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  $33,000,  on  South  Fourth  Street. 

The  McKinley  Memorial  church  was  erected  by  Hon.  W.  B.  McKin- 
ley  in  memory  of  his  father,  Rev.  George  McKinley,  and  is  an  elegant 
and  impressive  house  of  worship. 

THE  UNIVERSALIST  CHURCH 

Universalist  ministers  held  services  in  the  courthouse  and  various 
residences  for  many  years  previous  to  1859,  when  a  church  was  formally 
organized.  Meetings  continued  to  be  held  in  the  courthouse  until  1871, 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  447 

when  a  brick  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  Green  Street.  Among 
the  early  ministers  of  the  church  were  Eev.  E.  Manford,  Eev.  T.  C. 
Eaton,  Eev.  Josiah  Davis  and  Eev.  D.  P.  Bunn.  The  handsome  and 
convenient  edifice  now  occupied  was  completed  in  1913.  Rev.  E.  V. 
Stevens  is  the  pastor. 

FIRST  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

The  First  Christian  (not  Disciple)  Church  of  Urbana  is  the  only 
society  of  that  denomination  in  the  Twin  Cities.  It  was  organized  in 
1885  by  Rev.  Robert  Harris,  then  secretary  of  the  Central  Illinois 
Christian  Conference.  Mr.  Harris  had  charge  of  the  church  from 
1885  to  1892.  Services  were  held  in  a  hall  over  one  of  the  stores  until 
1889,  when  the  first  church  edifice  was  erected  on  West  Main  Street 
near  the  site  of  the  present  house  of  worship,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500.  Other 
pastors  who  have  served  the  church :  Eev.  W.  G.  Voliva,  Eev.  J.  J.  Pat- 
terson, Eev.  Mrs.  A.  A.  Draper,  Eev.  G.  D.  Lawrence,  who  was  pastor 
from  1896  until  1904.  Up  until  1900  the  church  had  preaching  only 
every  other  Sunday.  In  1900  the  church  engaged  Rev.  Mr.  Lawrence 
for  full  time,  and  has  maintained  "full-time"  preaching  ever  since. 

Rev.  W.  H.  Sando  was  pastor  from  1904  until  1907;  Rev.  D.  A. 
Boatwright  from  1907  until  1908;  Rev.  W.  0.  Hornbaker  from  1908 
until  1912.  During  Rev.  Mr.  Hornbaker's  pastorate  a  commodious 
new  church  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  Rev.  Clarence 
Defur  was  pastor  from  1912  until  1914.  Rev.  R.  C.  Helfenstein,  the 
present  pastor,  was  called  September  1,  1914.  The  membership  of  the 
church  is  300,  of  which  number  208  are  active  members. 

TRINITY  M.  E.  (UNIVERSITY)  CHURCH 

Trinity,  the  Methodist  University  Church,  was  organized  in  1892 
and  was  first  known  as  Park's  Chapel.  The  names  of  its  pastors :  Rev. 
E.  K.  Towl,  Rev.  Clarence  Reed,  Eev.  W.  W.  Henry,  Eev.  Willard  N. 
Tobie  (1899-1907)  and  Eev.  James  C.  Baker,  since  the  latter  year. 
The  first  church  building  was  erected  in  1893  and  destroyed  by  fire  in 
the  following  year.  A  second  church  was  at  once  built  and  replaced 
by  the  present  structure,  which  was  dedicated  in  November,  1906.  The 
work  of  Trinity  Church  is  now  being  merged  in  the  Wesley  Foundation 
and  another  edifice,  to  cost  about  $200,000,  will  soon  replace  the  present 
building,  being  located  two  blocks  farther  south,  at  the  corner  of  Green 
Street  and  Mathews  Avenue.  The  present  number  of  members  is  825. 


448  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Other  churches  of  this  denomination  in  Urbana  are  the  Free  Will 
and  Grace  Methodist. 

ST.  PATRICK'S  CHURCH 

St.  Patrick's  Catholic  parish  in  Urbana  was  founded  in  July,  1901, 
by  Eev.  J.  H.  Cannon.  It  was  an  offshoot  of  old  St.  Mary's  parish,  at 
Champaign.  Within  the  first  few  years  of  its  history  the  Urbana  con- 
gregation acquired  property  at  the  corner  of  West  Main  and  Busey 
streets,  and  erected  a  substantial  church  and  rectory,  at  a  cost  of 
$56,000.  Father  Cannon  remained  in  charge  of  the  parish  for  about 
nine  years,  and  has  been  succeeded  by  Rev.  Stephen  N.  Moore  and 
Rev.  J.  W.  Cummings,  the  present  incumbent.  About  twenty  years 
ago  Father  Cummings  was  assistant  to  Father  Wagner,  at  St.  Mary's 
parish,  Champaign.  St.  Patrick's  parish  embraces  some  sixty  families. 

THE  UNITARIAN  CHUECH 

The  Unitarian  Church  of  Urbana  was  organized  in  April,  1907,  by 
Rev.  Albert  R.  Vail,  who  is  still  its  minister.  Its  house  of  worship  was 
completed  in  the  fall  of  1909.  The  present  membership  of  the  society 
is  185. 

CUNNINGHAM  CHILDREN'S  HOME 

In  1894  Judge  J.  0.  Cunningham  and  his  wife  presented  their  old 
home,  with  fifteen  acres  of  land,  one  mile  north  of  the  courthouse  to  the 
Illinois  Conference  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  found  an  orphanage  for  children.  Its 
official  title  is  the  Cunningham  Deaconess  Home  and  Orphanage,  but 
the  institution  is  popularly  and  gratefully  known  as  the  Cunningham 
Children's  Home.  The  deed  of  gift  declared  that  "neither  nationality 
nor  creed  shall  be  considered — simply  the  need  of  the  child."  The 
Board  of  Management  and  the  superintendents  have  faithfully  con- 
formed to  this  pronouncement,  and  for  some  years  about  seventy  chil- 
dren, the  offspring  of  various  nationalities  and  creeds,  have  been  protected 
physically  and  morally,  amid  pleasant  and  comfortable  surroundings, 
and  afterward  placed  in  the  way  of  becoming  intelligent  and  good 
members  of  society.  Its  mainstay  of  support  is  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Society,  although  it  has  received  numerous  outside  donations 
and  has  a  small  endowment  fund.  The  buildings  of  the  Home  comprise 
two  comfortable  and  attractive  buildings. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  449 

The  original  building  was  completed  in  1895,  and  the  institution 
was  opened,  on  October  25  of  that  year,  with  a  matron  in  charge  and 
four  homeless  little  children  as  inmates.  Additions  to  that  structure 
were  subsequently  made  of  a  playroom,  schoolroom,  nursery,  two  dormi- 
tories and  other  accommodations.  In  1911  another  building  known  as 
Sheldon  Hall  was  erected,  containing  play  and  school  rooms,  boys' 
dormitory,  industrial  room  and  laundry. 

The  successive  superintendents  and  matrons  who  have  served  since 
the  opening  of  the  Home  in  1895  are  as  follows:  Mrs.  F.  C.  Woodruff, 
1895-99;  Miss  Matilda  Eeeves,  1899-1903;  Miss  Jones,  1903-04;  Miss 
Eva  Schell,  1904-06;  W.  A.  Davis  and  wife,  1906-12;  Rev.  Xenophon 
M.  Fowler  and  wife,  superintendent  and  assistant  superintendent, 
respectively,  1912-17. 


THE  CUNNINGHAM  CHILDREN'S  HOME 

At  the  coming  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Fowler  the  authority  to  administer 
corporal  punishment  was  taken  from  the  workers  and  given  only  to  the 
superintendent  and  wife.  Since  1915  all  corporal  punishment  has  been 
banished  from  the  Home.  A  credit  system  is  now  used,  placing  each 
child  on  its  own  merits.  Those  getting  an  average  of  eighty  percent 
are  eligible  to  a  picnic,  those  who  average  ninety  percent  are  entitled 
to  a  hike,  and  those  whose  average  is  ninety-eight  per  cent  are  treated 
to  a  special  chicken  dinner. 

Since  1914  provisions  have  been  made  to  keep  boys  until  they  are 
twelve  years  of  age  and  girls  until  they  are  eighteen.  Two  grades, 
seventh  and  eighth,  were  added  to  the  courses  of  study,  which  necessi- 
tated the  hiring  of  an  extra  teacher. 

1—29 


450  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Finally,  the  following  ingenious  and  informing  acrostic,  prepared 
by  Superintendent  Fowler,  cannot  but  answer  all  pertinent  questions 
which  may  arise  in  the  minds  of  those  who  are  not  already  posted  on 
the  merits  of  the  Cunningham  Children's  Home : 

C  unningham  slogan  is  "Be  good ;  do  good ;  make  good." 

U  niversity   of  Illinois   Sociology   class  rated   Cunningham   Children's 

Home  as  a  model  small  institution. 
N  umber  of  children  cared  for  during  the  year,  87. 
Nursery  has  been  closed,  renovated  and  opened  again. 
I  terns  for  one  dinner:  8  chickens,  1  bu.  potatoes,  1/2  Du-  onions,  10 

loaves  bread,  iy2  pound  butter,  8  quarts  preserves. 
N  o  boys  are  received  over  six ;  our  oldest  is  now  twelve. 
G  iris  are  taken  under  twelve  and  kept  until  they  are  eighteen. 
H  eat,  lights  and  repairs  in  the  48  rooms,  6  bath  rooms  and  halls  cost 

over  $1,000  annually. 
A  11  our  physical,  industrial,  educational,  and  spiritual  training  aims 

toward  Christian  citizenship. 
M  embers   of    Catholic,   Protestant,    and    atheistic   families   are    alike 

accepted. 

C  hildren     came     from     Pennsylvania,     Indiana,     Missouri,     Kansas, 

Arkansas,  and  13  counties  of  Illinois. 
Half-orphans  constituted  the  majority  of  our  membership;   11   were 

children  of  insane  mothers. 
I  ndustrial  classes  in  cooking,  sewing,  darning,  and  basketry  were  held 

weekly. 
L  ithuanian,    Norwegian,    Swedish,    Polish,    Scotch,    Irish,    German, 

French  and  American  children  were  here. 
D  octor's  calls  were  made  on  only  2  children ;  6  visits  on  one  boy,  one 

on  another;  cost,  $14. 

R  epairs  on  shoes  average  over  $15  per  month  in  winter. 
E  ndowment  has  been  started ;  amounts  now  to  nearly  $3,000. 
N  ational  W.  H.  M.  S.  sent  for  salaries,  $785.50 ;  other  Conferences, 

$740.32. 
Scholarships  cost  $60  per  year;  kindergarten  scholarships,  $15. 

H  ome    employs    Superintendent,    Asst.    Supt.,    6    Dept.    Matrons,    3 
Teachers,  Cook,  Laundress  and  Farmer. 

O  ur  pay  roll  for  all  fourteen  workers  averaged  only  $275  per  month. 
M  any  children  were  turned  away  for  lack  of  scholarships. 

E  ven  the  smallest  donation  from  You  will  be  thankfully  received. 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  451 

EARLY  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  or  UKBANA 

By  A.  0.  Howell 

Myself  and  family  removed  to  this  township  in  October,  1853,  and 
purchased  the  farm  on  which  we  now  reside.  I  organized  a  Union 
Sunday  school  in  the  old  brick  courthouse,  April  19,  1854.  The  officers 
were:  A.  0.  Howell,  superintendent,  and  M.  A.  Barnes,  secretary.  Eev. 
W.  W.  Blanchard  was  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  that  time 
and  had  many  doubts  about  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  The  first 
Sunday  there  were  30  members  in  attendance;  the  second,  53;  May 
3d,  123.  The  Methodists  and  Baptists  were  cordial,  in  good  feeling 
and  co-operated  with  the  new  school.  Many  of  our  members  were  pre- 
paring to  build  and  remove  to  "the  depot,"  afterwards  called  "West 
Urbana,"  now  Champaign  City.  Sunday  school,  with  its  officers,  library, 
&c.,  was  removed  to  an  unfinished  building  of  Deacon  Moses  Snelling, 
on  University  Avenue,  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  James  Wright.  We 
had  rough  boards  for  seats  and  a  goods  box  for  a  pulpit.  Here  we 
reopened  and  reorganized  the  first  Sunday  school  ever  held  in  Cham- 
paign, on  the  4th  day  of  March,  1855.  We  changed  our  name  from 
"First  Union  Sunday  School  of  Urbana,  111.,"  to  "First  Congregational 
Sunday  School  of  Champaign."  We  built  the  first  Congregational 
Church  on  the  corner  of  University  Avenue  and  Sixth  Street,  (sometimes 
called  the  Duck  Pond  Church)  where  our  Sunday  school  numbered,  on 
one  Sabbath,  202.  Thus  I  supposed  for  many  years,  that  I  had  the 
honor  of  arranging  and  superintending  the  first  Sunday  school  with  a 
library  and  regular  organization  in  this  county  for  four  years,  but  many 
years  after  I  learned  from  B.  F.  Harris  that  he  had  antedated  me  two 
years.  His  Sunday  school  was  held  in  a  little  church  on  his  farm  on 
the  Sangamon.  He  carried  his  library  to  his  Sunday  school  every 
Sabbath  in  a  red  handkerchief  and  back  to  his  house  at  night.  I 
carried  my  library  to  the  courthouse  in  a  candle  box,  in  my  then  new 
rockaway  buggy,  and  back  at  night.  The  four  years  war  killed  off  and 
scattered  our  thorough  members,  and  since  then,  oh,  how  sadly  changed 
is  our  once  humble  and  thorough  church  and  Sunday  school.  I  wish  to 
say  here  that  this  was  not  the  beginning  of  all  the  good  church  and 
Sunday  school  work  done  in  this  county.  It  would  be  difficult  to  over- 
estimate the  noble  work  done  by  our  venerable  Father  Bradshaw  for 
many  years  previous  to  this,  but  in  consequence  of  his  immensely 
large  circuit,  the  meetings  and  sessions  of  church  and  Sunday  school 
work  were  necessarily  quite  semi-occasionally. 


452  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

I  find  from  the  old  minutes  of  Illinois  Conference  of  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  that  in  1839,  in  the  month  of  September,  I  was  appointed 
to  Urbana  Mission.  In  October  I  landed  in  Urbana  with  my  family.  I 
do  not  know  what  had  been  done  about  a  Sabbath  school  prior  to  that 
time,  but  the  spring  following  we  organized  a  Sabbath  school,  in  which 
Baptists  and  Presbyterians  took  part,  especially  Milton  Vance,  a  dry 
goods  merchant,  but  the  Sabbath  school  was  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1840  I  made  the 
purchase  of  a  church  lot  from  the  county  for  $3,  and  the  summer  follow- 
ing we  erected  a  church  building  30x40  feet,  enclosing  it,  but  did  not 
finish  it  for  some  time.  The  Baptists  had  no  church  organization  in 
Urbana,  but  I  think  they  had  in  the  Brumley  neighborhood.  But  from 
the  spring  and  summer  of  1840  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  had  a 
small  Sabbath  school  organized  in  Urbana.  I  can  not  give  particulars, 
nor  can  I  say  at  what  date  the  Baptist  Church  -organized  a  Sabbath  school 
in  Urbana  or  organized  a  church  in  Urbana,  or  built  a  church,  etc.  I 
know  the  little  church  house  we  put  up  in  1840  was  the  first  in  the  county. 
From  1840  to  1850  the  Sabbath  schools  in  Urbana  were  no  big  thing. 

BANKS  AND  INDUSTRIES 

There  are  five  banks  in  Urbana — Busey's  State,  the  First  National, 
Urbana  Banking  Company,  the  First  State  Trust  and  Savings  and  the 
First  University. 

Busey's  Bank,  subsequently  Busey's  State  Bank,  is  the  name  of  one 
of  the  solid  financial  institutions  and  the  second  oldest  bank  in  Cham- 
paign County.  The  name  has  become  a  household  word  throughout 
that  part  of  the  state,  and  is  recognized  as  standing  for  financial 
integrity,  square  dealing,  and  all  that  pertains  to  a  careful  management 
of  the  property  of  other  people  and  conservative  banking  methods. 

This  institution,  under  the  name  of  Busey  Brothers  &  Company, 
was  organized  in  the  fall  of  1868,  by  the  Hon.  S.  H.  Busey,  Col.  S.  T. 
Busey,  and  Dr.  W.  R.  Earhart.  In  about  a  year  Dr.  Earhart  sold  out 
his  interest  to  his  partners,  who  now  styled  the  firm  Busey  Brothers, 
under  which  name  the  business  was  conducted  for  several  years,  or  until 
the  interest  of  Hon.  S.  H.  Busey  was  purchased  by  his  son,  Matthew  W. 
The  new  firm  of  S.  T.  and  M.  W.  Busey  carried  on  the  business  under 
the  title  of  Busey's  Bank. 

In  1888,  after  twenty  years  of  continuous  service,  Col.  S.  T.  Busey 
sold  his  interest,  and  the  bank  was  reorganized,  with  Hon.  Simeon 
H.  Busey  as  president,  Matthew  W.  Busey  as  vice-president,  and  George 


(a)  First  Brick  House  in  Urbana  (1841) 


(b)   Present  Post  office 
THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW 


454  HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 

W.  Busey  as  cashier.  This  partnership  continued  until  the  death  of 
Hon.  S.  H.  Busey,  which  occurred  June  3,  1901,  after  which  the  hank 
was  again  reorganized  with  Matthew  W.  Busey  as  president,  George  W. 
Busey  as  cashier,  Garrett  H.  Baker  and  Paul  G.  Busey  as  assistant 
cashiers. 

In  1907,  George  W.  Busey  retired,  his  position  being  taken  by  Gar- 
rett H.  Baker  as  cashier,  and  Paul  G.  Busey  advancing  to  the  position 
of  vice-president.  The  ownership  of  the  bank  from  that  time  until  the 
present  has  been  in  the  hands  of  M.  W.  Busey,  Paul  G.  Busey  and  G. 
H.  Baker.  Other  members  of  the  force  at  present  are  Charles  A.  Bon- 
gart,  teller;  Bowen  Busey  and  Glenn  Eoss,  assistant  cashiers. 

In  1913  the  owners  incorporated  the  bank  under  the  name  of  Busey's 
State  Bank,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000  and  a  board  of  directors 
composed  of  M.  W.  Busey,  Paul  G.  Busey  and  Garrett  H.  Baker.  A 
short  time  prior  to  the  incorporation  the  bank  had  the  honor  of  being 
the  depository  of  the  treasurer  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 

Within  the  last  year  the  bank  has  enlarged  its  quarters  on  Main 
Street,  of  Urbana,  to  twice  its  former  size  in  order  to  keep  up  with  the 
growth  of  its  business,  and  has  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  finest 
banking  homes  in  Champaign  County.  This  bank  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Illinois  Bankers'  Association,  its  officers  having  served  on  its 
executive  committee  for  a  great  many  years,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  American  Bankers'  Association. 

The  First  National  was  chartered  April  6,  1883,  with  Charles  L. 
Burbee  as  president;  George  W.  Curtis,  vice-president,  and  P.  Richards, 
cashier.  Mr.  Burbee  served  as  president  for  a  few  years  and  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Richards,  who  served  a  few  years,  or  until  his  death, 
January  1,  1899.  Judge  Francis  M.  Wright  then  became  president  and 
continued  as  such  until  January  1,  1906.  Since  that  date  A.  F.  Fay 
has  been  at  the  head  of  its  affairs.  C.  W.  Richards  is  vice-president. 
G.  W.  Webber  has  acted  as  cashier  since  1907.  The  capital  of  the 
First  National  is  $50,000;  surplus  and  undivided  profits,  $60,000; 
average  deposits,  $500,000. 

The  Urbana  Banking  Company  was  organized  May  18,  1903,  with 
a  capital  of  $100,000.  Its  officers  have  remained  unchanged,  viz: 
John  H.  Savage,  president;  J.  W.  Shuck,  vice-president;  Thomas  A. 
Burt,  second  vice-president;  John  H.  Thornburn,  cashier;  Minnie 
Jaques,  assistant  cashier.  The  capital  stock  is  still  $100,000;  surplus 
and  undivided  profits,  $20,000;  average  deposits,  $650,000. 

The  First  State  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  is  officered  as  follows: 
S.  E.  Huff,  president;  Harry  Gardner  and  C.  H.  Wallace,  vice-presi- 
dents; Abner  Silkey,  cashier. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  455 

First  University  Bank:  David  H.  Lloyde,  president;  C.  L.  Lloyde, 
vice-president;  H.  R.  Dow,  cashier.  This  institution  was  organized  in 
September,  1915. 

The  manufactures  of  Urbana  are  of  modest  proportions,  but  include 
brick  and  tile  making,  a  foundry  and  machine  shop  and  a  planing  mill. 
S.  E.  Huff  &  Company  and  Hunter,  Rourke  &  Company  are  the 
workers  in  wood,  and  also  operate  large  lumber  and  coal  yards.  The 
Leavitt  Foundry  and  Machine  Shop  is  the  iron-working  plant,  and 
Alvin  E.  Huckins  owns  and  conducts  the  brick  and  tile  works,  which 
he  purchased  of  the  Sheldon  Brick  Company  in  1912.  Bissell  & 
Sherrill  were  manufacturing  brick  at  Urbana  as  early  as  1853,  their 
kilns  being  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Huckins  yards.  0.  C. 
Wysons,  W.  J.  Foots  and  Royal  A.  Sutton  conducted  the  enterprise  after 
Bissell  &  Sherrill  and  the  Sheldon  Brick  Company,  with  which  George 
and  C.  C.  Sheldon  were  identified  (uncle  and  nephew),  as  well  as  John 
W.  Stipes,  as  manager,  immediately  preceded  Mr.  Huckins.  It  is 
therefore  the  oldest  industry  in  Urbana. 

URBANA  SOCIETIES 

The  county  seat  has  numerous  lodges  and  societies,  the  histories  of 
which,  as  a  rule,  are  not  accessible,  and  perhaps  would  be  of  more 
special  interest  to  those  who  are  closely  identified  with  them.  The 
Masons  have  a  temple  on  West  Main  Street,  and  their  lodge  (Urbana 
No.  157)  is  the  oldest  of  that  order  in  the  county.  Urbana  Chapter  No. 
80,  R.  A.  M.,  Urbana  Council  No.  19,  R.  &  S.  M.,  Urbana  Commandery 
No.  16,  K.  T.,  and  Hope  Chapter  No.  104,  0.  E.  S.,  are  other  strong 
Masonic  bodies. 

The  I.  0.  0.  F.  Hall  is  corner  of  Main  and  Race  streets,  and  the 
local  order  embraces  Urbana  Subordinate  Lodge  No.  39,  Urbana 
Encampment  No.  98  and  Olive  Lodge  No.  57  of  the  Rebekahs. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Pythian  Sisters  meet  on  West  Main 
Street,  and  the  Ben  Hurs,  Elks,  Red  Men  and  Woodmen  are  also  repre- 
sented by  organizations.  The  club  rooms  of  the  B.  P.  0.  E.  are  in  the 
Flatiron  building,  and  the  lodge  (No.  991)  has  a  membership  of  over 
250. 

The  women's  clubs  of  the  Twin  Cities  co-operate  so  intimately  that 
most  of  the  strongest  of  them  have  no  distinct  dividing  lines.  Sketches 
of  the  Art,  Thirty,  Social  Science  and  Woman's  clubs,  which  embrace 
both  cities,  have  already  been  given.  The  Urbana  Fortnightly  Club 
has,  from  the  first,  been  a  distinctive  organization  of  the  county  seat. 


456  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

It  was  organized  prior  to  1885,  as  an  informal  reading  club;  was 
formally  organized,  with  officers,  in  1895,  with  Mrs.  S.  T.  Busey  as 
its  president;  was  admitted  to  membership  in  the  Illinois  Federation 
of  Women's  Clubs  in  1896,  and  has  so  extended  its  studies  and  pre- 
scribed membership  as  to  embrace  literature  and  domestic  science  and 
admit  thirty  women  into  its  life.  It  also  has  a  list  of  honorary  mem- 
bers who  are  non-residents.  At  TJrbana  is  also  a  strong  Chautauqua 
Circle. 


CHAPTEE  XIII 
EANTOUL  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE 

NATURAL  ADVANTAGES — ARCHA  CAMPBELL — JOHN  W.  DODGE,  LEADER 
OF  OHIO  COLONY — JOHN  EOUGHTON — THE  PREEMPTORS'  FIGHT — 
EANTOTJL  PLATTED — PRESENT  VILLAGE — THE  LOCAL  NEWSPAPERS 
— CHURCHES  AND  LODGE — THE  FIRE  or  1901  AND  ITS  EESULTS — 
THE  CHANUTE  AVIATION  FIELD — THOMASBORO. 

Bantoul  Township,  north  of  the  central  part  of  the  county,  is  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  sections  to  be  described  in  this  work.  It  contains 
perhaps  the  most  important  part  of  the  village  of  Eantoul,  and  Thomas- 
boro  as  a  whole.  The  country  is  well  watered  by  the  Salt  Fork,  and 
the  farmers  of  the  township  have  always  constituted  a  substantial 
element  of  the  county's  population. 

Much  of  the  territory  now  covered  by  Eantoul  Township  was 
included  in  what  was  formerly  known  as  Mink  Grove.  It  was  a  favorite 
camping  place  both  of  the  Indians  and  the  pioneers  traveling  back  and 
forth  between  the  Chicago  region  and  Champaign  County. 

NATURAL  ADVANTAGES 

Eantoul  is  one  of  the  largest  townships  in  the  county,  having  an 
area  of  forty-eight  and  a  half  sections  of  land.  Mink  Grove  lies  mostly 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  township,  extending  into  Ludlow  township. 
Otherwise,  the  country  was  practically  prairie  land,  very  fertile,  as  the 
settlers  eventually  discovered,  and  well  watered  by  the  tributaries  of 
Salt  Fork.  The  natural  drainage  is  toward  the  south  and  west,  and 
this  has  been  supplemented  by  expensive  ditches  dug  along  the  courses 
of  the  waterways ;  so  that  no  better  lands  are  to  be  found  in  the  county 
than  those  included  in  Eantoul  Township. 

The  township  was,  of  course,  named  in  honor  of  Hon.  Eobert  Ean- 
toul, of  Massachusetts,  who  may  be  justly  called  the  savior  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Eailroad,  to  which  the  township  and  the  county  owe  so 
large  a  share  of  their  development. 

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HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  459 

AECHA  CAMPBELL 

The  first  white  settler  in  what  is  now  Rantoul  Township  was  Archa 
Campbell,  who  afterward  became  a  probate  justice,  county  commissioner, 
TJrbana's  first  mayor  and  a  prominent  citizen  generally.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  he  did  little  more  than  open  up  farms  on  the  present  site  of 
the  village  and  on  the  ridge  in  what  is  now  Hensley  Township,  about 
midway  between  Thomasboro  and  Mahomet.  In  the  fall  of  1848  Mr. 
Campbell  built  a  log  cabin  fourteen  feet  square  on  his  Eantoul  place. 
It  was  roofed  with  rough  boards  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  long,  but  fully 
answered  the  purpose  of  holding  down  his  title  to  his  claim. 

Mr.  Campbell's  nearest  neighbors  were  Franklin  Dobson,  on  the 
Sangamon  Eiver,  nine  miles  west,  and  Lewis  Adkins,  at  the  north  end 
of  Big  Grove,  eight  miles  south.  Largely  through  the  influence  of  Mr. 
Campbell  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad  located  the  station  of  Eantoul, 
from  which  the  township  afterward  derived  its  name.  He  built  the 
first  dwelling  there,  which  was  subsequently  occupied  by  George  W. 
Terry  and  wife,  and  his  entire  property  at  Eantoul  passed  out  of  his 
hands  in  1858,  Guy  B.  Chandler  purchasing  the  farm. 

In  1852  Lewis  L.  Hicks  entered  a  section  of  land  two  miles  north- 
east of  the  present  site  of  the  village,  and  the  following  year  was  joined 
by  his  brother-in-law  and  sister,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  Martin. 

JOHN  W.  DODGE,  LEADER  OF  OHIO  COLONY 

Until  the  building  of  the  Illinois  Central  in  1855,  Eantoul  town- 
ship virtually  remained  unoccupied  as  far  as  permanent  habitations 
were  concerned.  But  the  completion  of  that  enterprise  opened  a  new 
and  brighter  prospect  for  the  northern  and  central  parts  of  the  county, 
and  Eantoul  shared  in  the  general  awakening  and  flow  of  immigra- 
tion. They  came  from  the  East  and  from  the  South — John  W.  Dodge, 
John  Penfield,  John  Eoughton,  James  T.  Herrick  and  others  who  pre- 
ceded the  large  Ohio  colony  the  members  of  which  located  at  and  near 
the  station  in  1857. 

John  W.  Dodge,  the  advance  agent  of  the  settlers  from  Northern 
Ohio,  arrived  in  1855  from  Twinsburg,  for  the  purpose  of  pre-empting 
land  for  his  friends  and  associates,  several  of  whom  accompanied  him. 
He  was  well  qualified  for  that  leadership,  having  spent  years  in  open- 
ing small  farms  from  the  dense  timber  lands  of  Northern  Ohio.  Such 
strenuous  labors  had  weakened  his  constitution,  and  when  he  came  to 
the  Eantoul  region  he  was  not  in  stalwart  health.  He  and  his  associates 


460  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  the  Ohio  colony  pre-empted  several  sections  of  land  in  what  are  now 
Eantoul  and  Ludlow  townships  and  built  eighteen  pre-emption  shanties. 
At  the  land  sale  in  Danville  during  the  following  winter  they  paid  the 
government  for  about  three  thousand  acres  of  land  at  an  average  price 
of  $3  an  acre,  including  incidental  expenses  of  pre-empting. 

A  year  later  Mr.  Dodge  commenced  making  improvements,  sleeping 
at  first  in  a  pre-emption  shanty  without  floor,  door  or  window.  He 
afterward  moved  three  others  together,  and  occupied  them  with  his  fam- 
ily and  other  newcomers,  numbering  from  fifteen  to  twenty  persons, 
during  a  whole  summer,  while  a  better  house  was  being  built.  Groceries 
and  provisions,  lumber  and  hardware,  were  brought  from  Chicago.  In 
those  days  wild  game  of  different  kinds  was  plentiful.  Prairie  chickens, 
ducks,  geese  and  sand-hill  cranes  were  out  in  force,  during  the  season. 
The  cranes  would  gather  together  in  an  open  space  and  perform  a 
dance,  keeping  time  with  their  leader.  Prairie  wolves  were  also  every- 
where, and  during  the  first  year's  stay  of  the  pioneer  members  of  the 
colony  deer  were  seen  in  herds,  passing  from  Buck  Grove  to  the  Sanga- 
mon  timber  in  a  regular  procession.  At  one  time  sixty  were  counted  in 
line. 

After  directing  most  of  the  Ohio  colony  well  along  toward  perma- 
nent settlement,  Mr.  Dodge  farmed  some  of  his  land  with  indifferent  suc- 
cess, then  started  a  drug  store  in  the  village,  and  early  in  the  period  of 
Illinois  Central  land  sales  "got  into  the  game"  and  within  five  years 
had  sold  some  50,000  acres  to  settlers  and  investors,  all  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rantoul.  Finally  he  retired,  as  he  should,  to  an  honorable  rest. 

JOHN  ROUGHTON 

In  1854  John  Roughton,  also  an  Ohio  man  of  Pike  County,  settled 
at  Urbana  as  a  blacksmith,  afterward  engaged  in  the  grocery  business, 
and  in  November,  1855,  pre-empted  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
27,  in  what  is  now  Ludlow  Township,  just  north  of  the  railroad  station, 
and  started  a  blacksmith  shop  at  the  railroad  station.  In  1861  he 
moved  to  the  Big  Grove,  but  after  serving  in  the  Civil  War  returned  to 
improve  his  old  pre-emption,  and  eventually  became  prominent  in  the 
village  affairs  of  Rantoul. 

THE  PEE-EMPTORS'  FIGHT 

Mr.  Roughton  had  much  to  do  with  protecting  the  interests  of  those 
who  pre-empted  land  in  Rantoul  and  Ludlow  townships  in  the  late  '50s, 
and  more  than  thirty  years  afterward  told  the  story  in  these  words : 


HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  461 

"The  grant  of  lands  made  by  Congress  to  the  Illinois  Central  Kail- 
road  Co.,  designed  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  their  road,  included 
every  alternate  or  even  numbered  section  on  either  side  of  the  entire 
length.  All  lands  still  in  possession  of  the  government  and  lying  with- 
in fifteen  miles  of  the  road  were  reserved  to  the  United  States  (taken 
out  of  market)  so  that  the  company  might  select  other  lands  in  lieu  of 
even  numbered  sections  on  its  immediate  line  which  had  previously  been 
taken  up  for  settlement.  In  1855,  the  railroad  company  having  made 
their  selections,  those  still  remaining  were  again  brought  into  market 
by  the  proclamation  of  the  President,  Franklin  Pierce.  Previous  to  the 
time  appointed  for  public  sale  a  large  majority  of  said  lands  were  en- 
tered under  the  then  existing  Pre-emption  Act.  At  said  sale,  which  soon 
followed,  all  the  lands  in  the  then  Danville  district,  those  which  were 
as  well  as  those  which  were  not  pre-empted  were  sold,  provided  that 
should  the  pre-emptor  make  satisfactory  proof  to  the  governor  the  pur- 
chaser would  receive  back  his  money  without  interest.  The  speculators, 
who  in  those  days  were  dubbed  land  sharks,  taxed  their  ingenuity  in  de- 
vising methods  by  which  to  entice,  or  if  need  be,  to  drive  away  the  poor 
man  from  his  home  and  fireside.  With  some  who  cared  not  to  become 
actual  tillers  of  the  soil  they  easily  effected  a  compromise.  Others,  af- 
frighted by  threats  of  litigation,  accepted  a  small  bonus  and  left  their 
lands.  Those  remaining  in  Champaign  County,  occupying  as  they  then 
did  nearly  four  thousand  acres,  being  more  resolute,  could  not  be  intimi- 
dated. Then  came  the  tug  of  war  and  in  dead  earnest  did  Greek  meet 
Greek,  each  determined  to  fight  it  out  to  the  bitter  end.  Were  those 
lands  subject  to  pre-emption  was  the  only  issue.  The  speculator  set  up  the 
plea  that  they  were  reserved  to  the  United  States,  and  therefore  exempt 
by  the  act  under  which  the  pre-emptions  were  made.  On  the  other  hand  it 
was  claimed  that,  while  it  was  true  that  these  lands  had  been  reserved 
for  the  purpose  above  set  forth,  it  was  equally  true  that  the  President 
by  his  proclamation  put  an  end  to  the  reservation  and  by  his  declara- 
tion that  they  were  now  subject  to  private  entry  he  announced  the  fact 
that  they  were  also  subject  to  pre-emption. 

"Litigation  commenced.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  was  ap- 
pealed to  for  its  decision.  In  that  court  the  speculator  obtained  a  vic- 
tory. It  was,  however,  currently  believed  that  the  victory  was  obtained 
by  collusion  with  the  pre-emptor  who  was  defendant  in  the  case.  A 
number  of  suits  in  ejectment  followed  in  the  inferior  courts  and  as  a 
matter  of  course  the  same  decision  rendered.  The  pre-emptors  of  the 
county  met  together  in  council,  at  Champaign,  organized  a  pre-emptors' 
protective  association,  appointed  a  convention  to  be  held  at  Onarga  and 


V 


462  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

elected  delegates  to  the  same.  Notices  were  scattered  abroad  and  every 
one  interested  was  invited  to  be  present  and  participate  in  its  proceed- 
ings. John  Boughton  and  N.  L.  Seaver,  of  Bantoul,  and  Luther  Eads, 
of  Champaign  attended  the  convention  from  Champaign  County  as  dele- 
gates. Quite  a  number  also  attended  from  counties  on  the  main  line 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad.  The  convention  passed  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions expressive  of  its  indignation  against  its  oppressors,  levied  a  tax 
of  20  cents  per  acre  upon  every  pre-emptor  with  a  view  of  raising  a  de- 
fense fund  and  appointed  John  Roughton  to  wait  upon  them  and  take 
their  note  for  that  amount  payable  in  one  year  after  date  to  the  order 
of  N.  L.  Seaver,  who  had  been  elected  treasurer  of  the  association.  It 
also  appointed  an  executive  committee  and  instructed  that  committee 
to  select  a  suitable  case  for  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  and  to  employ  a  competent  attorney  to  prosecute  the  same.  It 
also  listened  to  an  address  delivered  by  an  attorney  from  Danville,  who 
came  there  for  the  purpose  of  submitting  to  the  convention  a  proposition 
to  carry  up  to  the  Supreme  Court  any  case  that  might  be  selected  for 
that  purpose.  He  asked  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  confer  with 
him.  John  Eoughton,  N.  L.  Seaver  and  a  gentleman  from  Woodford 
County  were  appointed  as  that  committee.  They  retired  to  a  private 
room,  received  his  proposition  and  reported  to  the  convention.  It  was 
as  follows :  For  taking  up  a  case  from  the  Circuit  Court  and  carrying 
it  on  to  its  completion,  if  successful,  eight  thousand  dollars;  if  unsuc- 
cessful, five  thousand.  The  proposition  was  rejected  by  nearly  a  unan- 
imous vote  and  the  executive  committee  urged  to  prosecute  its  mission 
as  speedily  as  possible.  A  few  weeks  afterward  Mr.  A.  B.  Ives,  an  at- 
torney who  resided  at  Bloomington  and  who  had  been  employed  in  de- 
fending some  of  the  cases  which  had  been  tried,  reported  to  N.  L.  Seaver 
and  John  Eoughton,  one  of  them  at  the  same  time  expressing  it  as  his 
opinion  that  it  was  the  best  that  could  be  found.  He  also  expressed  a 
desire  to  meet  the  committee  with  a  view  of  being  employed  by  them  as 
their  attorney.  Luther  T.  Eads,  who  had  been  appointed  chairman  of 
the  committee  was  therefore  urged  to  call  its  members  together.  He, 
however,  having  become  somewhat  disappointed  in  consequence  of  the 
rejection  of  Mr.  Drake's  proposition  at  the  convention  refused  to  do  so. 
Mr.  Ives  being  advised  as  to  the  condition  of  affairs  came  to  Eantoul 
where  he  entered  into  an  agreement  with  Messrs.  Eoughton  and  Seaver 
to  carry  up  the  case  he  recommended  and  continue  the  same  until  a  de- 
cision was  obtained.  In  consideration  for  which,  Mr.  Eoughton  was  to 
collect  the  tax  levied  by  the  convention  and  turn  the  notes  over  to  him 
at  their  face  value.  Afterward  the  gentleman  in  Woodford  County 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  463 

agreed  to  do  the  same.  Mr.  Ives  went  to  Washington  and  Mr.  Rough- 
ton  visited  every  pre-emptor  in  Champaign  County,  from  whom  he 
collected  notes  amounting  to  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  dollars 
and  turned  them  over  to  him.  The  first  and  second  winter  sessions  of 
the  Supreme  Court  dragged  along  their  weary  length  and  no  decision 
was  obtained. 

"  'Uncertainty ! 

Fell  demon  of  our  fears !  the  human  soul, 
That  can  support  despair,  supports  not  thee'." 

"When  the  third  came  the  yearnings  of  every  heart  were  those  ex- 
pressed by  Froude  in  his  'Fall  of  Saguntum': 

"  'But  be  not  long,  for  in  the  tedious  minutes, 
Exquisite  interval,  I'm  on  the  rack; 
For  sure  the  greatest  evil  man  can  know, 
Bears  no  proportion  to  the  dread  suspense.'  " 

"However,  before  the  expiration  of  this  term  victory  perched  upon 
the  pre-emptor's  banner — for  in  the  month  of  September  of  the  year 
1860,  Mr.  Ives  communicated  the  intelligence  from  Washington  City, 
that  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  had  given  their  decision 
reversing  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

"How  many  of  the  old  pre-emptors  of  1855  now  remain  on  their  lands 
it  would  be  difficult  to  determine.  Suffice  it,  however,  to  say  by  way 
of  conclusion,  that  this  writer,  aided  by  his  only  son,  Reuben  Roughton, 
has  succeeded  in  rearing  upon  his  a  pleasant  home  where  he  now  lives 
and  where  during  the  remainder  of  his  earth  life  he  expects  to 

"  'So  live,  that  when  his  summons  come  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan,  that  moves 
To  that  mysterious  realm,  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 
And  go  not,  like  the  quarry  slave  at  night, 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon ;  but  sustained  and  sooth'd 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  his  grave, 
Like  one  that  draws  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams.' " 

The  record  shows  that  Mr.  Dodge  permanently  located  at  Rantoul 
May  9,  1856,  and  that,  soon  afterward,  came  James  T.  Herrick,  his 
brother-in-law,  James  Smithers,  C.  F.  Post,  John  B.  Perry,  Columbus 
Games,  Frank  Eads,  Anderson  Brown  and  Benjamin  Bradley. 


464  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

RANTOUL  PLATTED 

John  and  Guy  D.  Penfield  also  came  to  Eantoul  from  Michigan,  in 
1856,  being  accompanied  by  a  number  of  neighbors  and  residents  of  their 
home  town.  The  Penfields  platted  the  town  in  1856  and  afterward  did 
much  to  improve  it. 

In  that  year  G.  W.  Carter,  Abraham  Cross  and  John  A.  Benedict 
also  arrived. 

J.  J.  Bois  was  appointed  agent  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  in 
May,  1857,  and  held  that  position  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

PRESENT  VILLAGE 

The  village  of  Rantoul  has  had  a  steady  growth  from  the  first,  even 
the  fire  of  1901,  which  swept  away  its  business  section,  being  only  a  tem- 


RANTOUL  BUSINESS  STREET 

porary  set-back.  It  is  the  natural  commercial  center  of  a  rich  country, 
and  its  thorough  transportation  facilities  at  the  crossing  of  the  main  Illi- 
nois Central  line,  the  Rantoul  branch,  and  the  interurban  have  solidified 
its  standing.  In  population,  progressiveness  and  promise  it  is  third  in 
the  county,  after  Champaign  and  Urbana.  Rantoul  is  the  owner  of  a 
modern  water  and  light  plant,  has  two  solid  banks — the  First  National 
and  Commercial — and  two  large  elevators,  controlled  respectively  by  J. 
W.  McCullough  &  Son  and  the  Farmers'  Elevator  Company.  W.  H. 
Justice  is  superintendent  of  the  village  schools,  the  condition  of  which  is 
told  in  the  report  of  the  county  superintendent,  published  elsewhere. 


HISTOEY    OF  .  CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  465 

THE  LOCAL  NEWSPAPERS 

Bantoul  first  became  a  village  in  1870,  having  been  incorporated, 
under  the  state  laws,  in  1890.  Its  progress,  from  first  to  last,  is  largely 
due  to  wide-awake  local  newspapers,  represented  by  the  Press  and  the 
News.  In  1873,  H.  B.  Bullock  and  Abraham  Cross  commenced  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Eantoul  News,  the  outfit  being  moved  from  Paxton,  the 
county  seat  of  Ford  County,  on  the  north.  The  narrow-gauge  railroad, 
now  the  Paxton  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central,  was  then  in  course  of 
construction,  and  the  News  upheld  the  enterprise  through  all  its  early 
difficulties.  C.  W.  Gulick  began  the  publication  of  the  Eantoul  Journal 
in  October,  1875,  its  active  manager  being  F.  E.  Pinkerton,  afterward 
of  the  Urbana  Courier.  After  about  two  years  they  were  consolidated 
as  the  Eantoulian.  After  some  changes  Mr.  Pinkerton  again  secured 
control  and  the  sole  ownership.  About  1879  he  changed  the  name  of 
the  publication  to  the  Eantoul  Press,  which  he  published  almost  con- 
tinuously until  1895,  when  the  Press  was  sold  to  F.  E.  Cross  and  C.  B. 
E.  Pinkerton.  Their  successor  was  the  present  editor  and  proprietor,  F. 
E.  Eiker. 

The  Eantoul  News  was  started  by  F.  E.  Cross  about  1889,  and,  after 
being  several  times  sold,  came  into  the  possession  of  E.  J.  Udell,  who 
continued  its  publication  and  editorial  management  until  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1903.  C.  A.  and  W.  Gray  afterward  became  editors  and 
proprietors,  under  the  corporate  name  of  the  News  Printing  Company. 
The  Press  and  the  News  are  lively  promoters  of  the  best  interests  of 
Eantoul. 

CHURCHES  AND  LODGES 

The  village,  like  other  moral  and  intelligent  communities  of  its 
size,  is  favored  with  a  number  of  strong  churches  and  lodges.  The 
religious  bodies  are  the  Methodist,  Eev.  M.  M.  Want,  pastor;  the  Baptist, 
Eev.  E.  C.  Poole;  the  Christian  (Campbellites),  Eev.  A.  F.  Hensaker; 
the  Congregational,  Eev.  J.  E.  Cullen;  the  Catholic,  Eev.  W.  J.  Drun- 
my;  the  Free  Methodist,  Eev.  0.  W.  Haynes,  and  the  Christian  Scien- 
tists, Mrs.  H.  M.  Morris,  first  reader.  The  Episcopal  Church  of  Ean- 
toul is  the  oldest  of  the  local  religious  organizations.  Its  first  services 
were  held  in  the  depot  of  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad  in  May,  1857,  by 
Eev.  John  W.  Osborne,  a  missionary  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Later 
services  were  held  by  Mr.  Osborne  in  the  schoolhouse  until  1870,  when 
the  society  was  organized  as  a  parish  by  Eev.  W.  M.  Steel.  The  school- 
house  was  purchased  and  rebuilt  as  a  church,  which  was  consecrated  in 

1—30 


466  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

1876.  The  Episcopal  rectors  of  longest  service  have  been  Eev.  W.  M. 
Steel,  Rev.  W.  H.  Tomlins,  Rev.  F.  W.  Burrell,  Rev.  John  C.  White, 
Rev.  Joseph  A.  Antrim  and  Rev.  John  M.  Page,  the  present  pastor. 

As  to  the  societies,  the  Masons,  including  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Star;  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Rebekahs;  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  with  the  Women's  Re- 
lief Corps,  all  have  organizations  of  more  or  less  stability. 

THE  FIRE  OF  1901  AND  ITS  RESULTS 

The  most  destructive  fire  in  the  history  of  Rantoul  was  that  of 
August  9,  1901.  The  flames  burst  forth  at  11:40  A.  M.  of  that  day, 


THE  HIGH  SCHOOL 

from  the  Goff-Yates  elevator,  near  the  Illinois  Central  tracks,  west  of 
the  south  division  of  the  business  section  of  the  village.  Within  thirty 
minutes,  so  strong  was  the  wind  and  dry  the  material  fed  to  the  fire, 
that  the  section  was  all  in  flames,  and  within  less  than  three  hours  the 
business  district  was  virtually  swept  clean,  and  many  of  the  best  resi- 
dences had  also  dissolved  before  the  conflagration.  The  general  course 
of  the  fire  may  be  described  as  from  the  elevator  to  W.  S.  Snyder  &  Sons' 
implement  house  and  Steel's  blacksmith  shop  to  Bailey's  livery;  thence 
south  through  the  business  section  along  the  rear  of  various  structures 
to  the  City  Hall,  the  First  National  Bank,  Steffer  &  Leonard's  store,  Mil- 
ler &  Hamilton's  hardware  store,  to  the  offices  of  the  News  and  the  Press ; 
thence  to  the  Masonic  Hall  and  Opera  House.  When  the  flames  had 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  467 

subsided  it  was  found  that  the  only  business  houses  or  industries  left 
were  Coon  Brothers'  old  telephone  office,  Clark  &  Eusk's  elevator,  Sweed- 
burg's  blacksmith  and  machine  shop  and  Durbin's  mill.  The  only  hotel 
left  was  the  Martin  House.  Rebuilding  commenced  promptly  after 
matters  with  the  insurance  companies  could  be  adjusted,  and  the  citizens 
of  Rantoul  get  their  bearings,  and  the  new  village  which  soon  arose  was 
a  great  improvement  over  the  old. 

The  general  result  is  seen  in  the  clean,  substantial  and  modern  ap- 
pearance of  the  business  houses,  and  the  corresponding  appearance  of 
the  village  streets.  Coupled  with  its  advantages  of  moral,  intellectual 
and  social  growth,  Rantoul  has  all  the  necessary  qualifications  of  a  de- 
sirable residence  town  numbering  fifteen  hundred  people. 

THE  CHANUTE  AVIATION  FIELD 

A  mile  southeast  of  Rantoul  is  Chanute  Field,  the  largest  aviation 
field  in  the  United  States  with  the  exception  of  the  Wright  grounds 
near  Dayton,  Ohio.  The  school,  the  headquarters  of  which  are  at  this 
point,  was  established  in  July,  1917,  and  two  thousand  workmen  were 
employed  in  preparing  the  necessary  buildings  and  getting  the  grounds 
in  proper  shape.  Something  like  a  million  dollars  were  expended  in  a 
few  weeks  on  the  site  of  the  field  which  covers  about  a  section  and  a 
half  of  land.  The  flying  field  proper  is  a  level  prairie  of  640  acres. 
Captain  C.  C.  Edgar  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  was  in  charge  of  the  con- 
struction work;  Major  J.  L.  Dunsworth,  commandant,  and  Captain  Roy 
S.  Brown  in  active  charge  of  the  flying.  Captain  Brown's  chief  assist- 
ants were  Captain  T.  J.  Hanley  and  Captain  John  C.  McDonnell.  The 
two  original  squadrons,  each  in  charge  of  a  captain,  were  reinforced  by 
others  as  the  number  of  student  aviators  increased.  The  majority  of 
them  had  studied  aviation,  theoretically,  at  the  ground  schools  at  Prince- 
ton, Cornell,  Illinois,  Texas,  Ohio  and  other  universities,  and  at  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  Their  curriculum  had  included 
the  construction  of  aeroplanes,  theory  of  flying,  and  applied  mathematics, 
physics,  photography  and  map  making.  If  they  had  not  received  this 
course  of  instruction,  it  was  given  to  them  at  Chanute  Field.  But  the 
prime  purpose  of  the  training  there  is  to  get  them  a  thousand  feet  above 
the  earth  and,  with  nothing  around  them  but  air,  teach  them  to  coolly 
deal  with  "balky"  engines  and  treacherous  winds  and  pockets,  to  train 
machine  guns,  drop  bombs  and  all  else  required  by  their  calling.  At 
first  they  mount  with  capable  instructors;  soon  they  are  required  to 
try  their  wings  alone,  and  after  two  months,  if  they  pass  the  required 


468  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

tests,  they  receive  their  diploma  of  E.  M.  A.  (Reserve  Military  Aviator) 
and  are  ready  for  duty  either  with  the  army  or  navy. 

THOMASBOKO 

Thomasboro,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Rantoul  Township,  is  an 
Illinois  Central  Station,  is  quite  a  shipping  point  for  grain  and  pro- 
duce and  has  banking  facilities  (through  the  First  National)  which 
meets  all  demands  of  the  townsmen  and  neighboring  residents.  Its 
school  and  church  advantages  are  also  adequate.  Its  population  is 
numbered  at  about  three  hundred. 


CHAPTEE  XIV 
HOMEK  VILLAGE  AND  SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP 

SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP — THE  WEIGHTS — M.  D.  COFFEEN  &  COM- 
PANY— MOSES  THOMAS  AND  THE  OLD  MILL — OLD  HOMER  PLATTED — 
EXODUS  TO  NEW  HOMER — HOMER  IN  OCTOBER,  1855 — THE 
CHURCHES — THE  CORPORATION — VILLAGE  OF  TODAY — NEWSPAPERS 
OF  HOMER — THE  WOMAN'S  CLUB — LODGES. 

Less  than  a  mile  from  the  Vermilion  County  line,  the  village  of 
Homer  lies  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Champaign  County  on  the  Wabash 
line.  It  is  a  neat,  growing  corporation,  having  within  its  limits  some 
twelve  hundred  people,  with  concrete  walks  and  streets,  substantial  look- 
ing stores,  two  grain  elevators,  a  public  library,  newspaper,  two  banks, 
a  pretty  public  park,  a  good  graded  school,  churches,  lodges  and  societies. 
It  is  the  trading  and  banking  center  of  a  prosperous  agricultural  district, 
the  advantages  of  such  a  situation  being  mutual. 

SOUTH  HOMER  TOWNSHIP 

As  to  the  township  of  South  Homer,  outside  of  the  village,  it  is  eight 
and  a  half  miles  from  north  to  south  and  three  and  three-quarters  from 
east  to  west.  In  its  northern  and  central  portions  it  is  drained  by  the 
Salt  Fork  of  the  Vermilion  River  and  in  the  south  by  the  headwaters  of 
the  Little  Vermilion  River.  These  streams  afford  good  natural  drainage, 
and  this  advantage  is  supplemented  by  artificial  drainage,  especially 
along  the  Little  Vermilion.  Except  immediately  adjacent  to  the  Salt 
Fork  the  lands  of  the  township  are  of  the  best  quality;  in  places,  these 
consist  of  abrupt  bluffs  and,  in  other  localities,  of  bottom  lands  so  low 
that  they  are  subject  to  overflows  of  long  duration. 

THE  WRIGHTS 

That  part  of  the  county  long  known  as  the  Salt  Fork  Timber 
extended  eastward  into  Vermilion  County,  with  Danville  as  its  metropo- 
lis. At  an  early  day  the  Wrights-  settled  in  that  region  on  both  sides 

469 


470  HISTOEY    OP   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

of  the  line.  Among  them  was  John  B.  Wright,  a  Virginian,  who  had 
become  prominent  in  Indiana  before  he  brought  his  family  to  Champaign 
County  and  located  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  north  of  the  present  village 
of  Homer.  That  was  in  September,  1830. 

M.  D.  COFFEEN  &  COMPANY 

James  S.  Wright  was  one  of  his  sons,  who,  in  1837,  broke  away  from 
the  farm  and  the  malaria-ridden  country  and  went  to  work  on  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal,  then  being  dug  between  Chicago  and  the  Illinois 
Eiver.  Soon  afterward  he  returned  to  the  locality  of  Homer,  how- 
ever, with  enough  money  to  buy  some  land  and  become  an  independent 
farmer.  He  secured  his  first  real  start  in  life  through  his  association 
with  M.  D.  Coffeen,  a  young,  intelligent  and  enterprising  merchant,  who 
was  aiming  to  establish  a  trading  center  near  the  Wright  place,  the 
Moses  Thomas  mill  and  a  section  of  the  county  generally,  the  settlers  of 
which  were  coming  to  demand  such  accommodations  nearer  than  Dan- 
ville. 

MOSES  THOMAS  AND  THE  OLD  MILL 

Moses  Thomas  came  about  1829  and  entered  land  not  far  from  the 
village  of  Homer.  He  erected  and  operated  the  first  mill  with  other 
than  manual  or  horse  power,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Section  33,  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  township,  and  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
Old  Homer  laid  out  upon  lands  near  by.  Both  by  appointment  and 
election  he  served  as  probate  justice  in  1833-37,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  son,  John  B.  Thomas. 

OLD  HOMER  PLATTED 

In  1837  M.  D.  Coffeen  formed  a  partnership  with  Samuel  Groenen- 
dyke,  of  Eugene,  Ind.,  and,  under  the  name  of  M.  D.  Coffeen  &  Com- 
pany, they  decided  to  plat  a  town  at  the  intersection  of  Sections  4  and 
5,  Town  18,  and  Sections  32  and  33,  Town  19,  a  mile  north  of  the 
present  village.  There  are  several  explanations  as  to  the  naming  of 
the  place,  but  the  one  which  seems  to  have  come  most  directly  from  Mr. 
Coffeen  himself  is  to  this  effect :  One  day  in  1837,  after  the  proprietors 
had  located  their  general  store,  they  commenced  to  talk  about  putting  up 
a  blacksmith  shop  (Wright  was  a  blacksmith)  and  possibly  a  hotel,  as 
well  as  about  platting  a  little  town.  Mr.  Groenendyke  remarked  "Yes, 
that  plan  would  be  more  homer  to  me"  (meaning  more  homelike  to  Mr. 
Coffeen)  than  to  have  it  as  it  was  then,  with  no  place  at  which  to  stop. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


471 


At  this  Mr.  Coffeen,  who  is  also  said  to  have  been  somewhat  of  a  scholar 
and  a  great  admirer  of  the  Greek  philosopher,  replied,  "Well,  then, 
Homer  it  shall  be."  It  is  of  record  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  county 
commissioners  held  in  April,  1837,  a  license  was  granted  to  Green 
Atwood  to  keep  a  tavern  in  the  town  of  Homer.  The  Coffeen  store  was 
a  great  success  and  drew  a  large  trade  from  the  Sangamon,  Okaw  and 
Ambraw  settlements,  and  the  partnership  continued  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Groenendyke,  the  non-resident  partner,  in  1860. 

EXODUS  TO  NEW  HOMER 

Thus  Old  Homer  reached  the  dignity  of  a  bustling  little  village  of 
several  hundred  people,  notwithstanding  its  rather  low  and  unhealthful 


HIGH  SCHOOL  AT  HOMER 

site.  But  when  the  Great  Western  (now  the  Wabash)  Eailroad  was 
put  through  the  southern  part  of  the  county  in  1855  and  its  course  lay 
a  mile  and  a  quarter  south  of  Homer,  Mr.  Coffeen  who  had  acquired 
land  at  that  locality,  platted  a  town  of  the  same  name  there,  with  the 
railroad  station  as  its  nucleus.  He  invited  all  his  townsmen  to  move 
to  the  new  town  of  Homer  and  offered  to  exchange  lot  for  lot  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  owned  real  estate  in  the  old  village.  The  proposi- 
tion was  generally  accepted  and  the  business  men  agreed  to  close  their 
stores  permanently  after  April  1,  1855,  and  move  their  goods,  and  such 
of  their  buildings  as  were  presentable,  to  the  new  town  of  Homer.  It  is 
stated  that  "everything  went  to  the  new  town  except  the  Salt  Fork  and 


472  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

the  pioneer  mill  of  Moses  Thomas,"  which,  from  necessity,  were  left 
behind.  A  general  housemoving,  with  Mr.  Coffeen  in  the  lead,  was 
begun,  and  continued  until  the  former  thrifty  town  became  a  waste  of 
abandoned  streets,  alleys  and  lots,  covered  with  the  debris  of  its  former 
greatness.  The  Homer  &  Ogden  Electric  Eailroad  now  crosses  the  Salt 
Fork  a  few  rods  above  the  mill  erected  by  Moses  Thomas  and,  crossing 
the  town  plat  of  Old  Homer,  connects,  by  business  and  social  ties,  thriv- 
ing towns  which  have  grown  up  on  the  prairie  in  places  unthought  of 
by  the  men  of  that  day  as  needing  such  facilities. 

When  Old  Homer  became  a  deserted  village  and  New  Homer  a  thing 
of  life,  James  S.  Wright,  who  had  been  an  independent  merchant  for 
ten  years,  graduated  to  the  larger  financial  and  political  field  which 
centered  in  Champaign  and  Urbana.  He  had  in  the  meantime  been 
county  surveyor  for  many  years  and  served  in  the  Legislature  as  a 
Whig. 

HOMER  IN  OCTOBER,  1855 

How  the  second  village  of  Homer  looked  when  it  was  very  young  is 
thus  described  by  the  editor  of  the  Urbana  Union  in  his  issue  of  October 
25,  1855 :  "On  Tuesday  of  this  week  we  visited  this  town  for  the  first 
time  since  its  location  on  the  prairie.  The  present  site,  on  a  high  and 
commanding  point  on  the  Great  Western  Eailroad,  is  considered  much 
healthier  than  the  old  town.  We  were  informed  by  the  physicians  that 
amidst  the  great  amount  of  sickness  the  present  year  the  town  has  been 
comparatively  free  from  it.  It  is  expected  that  the  cars  will  soon  pay 
the  town  a  visit,  and  that  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  will  wake  to 
new  life  the  business  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country,  which  is 
already  good.  Several  new  houses  are  already  being  built,  and  many 
more  will  be  commenced  when  facilities  for  getting  lumber  are  better. 

"Our  friend,  M.  D.  Coffeen,  Esq.,  has  just  finished  a  new  and  com- 
modious building  for  the  accommodation  of  his  extensive  business,  which 
we  admire  very  much  on  account  of  the  convenience  of  its  arrangement 
and  the  superior  beauty  of  the  workmanship.  The  carpenter  work  was 
done  by  Mr.  Cyrus  Hays  and  the  painting,  which  is  really  elegant,  by 
John  Towner.  Besides  Mr.  Coffeen's  drygoods  store,  there  are  several 
others,  and  a  drugstore  by  Judge  John  B.  Thomas,  all  doing  a  fine 
business.  A  steam  sawmill  has,  during  the  summer,  been  put  in  opera- 
tion, which  is  turning  out  a  vast  amount  of  ties  for  the  Great  Western 
Eailroad." 

THE  CHURCHES 

The  locality  of  Old  Homer,  even  before  the  village  was  platted,  was 


HISTOEY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  473 

visited  by  various  missionaries  or  preachers,  such  as  Rev.  William  I. 
Peters  and  Rev.  Cyrus  Strong,  already  mentioned,  who  probably  con- 
formed to  the  tenets  of  the  United  Brethren  and  the  Disciples  of  Christ. 
A  little  later  Rev.  James  Homes  formed  a  class  in  Methodism  at  Urbana, 
and  in  1839  Urbana  Mission  was  formed,  with  Rev.  Arthur  Bradshaw  as 
its  pastor  in  charge.  In  that  year,  as  previously  told  in  his  own  words, 
he  organized  a  society  at  Old  Homer,  which  was  then  very  young.  The 
locality  was  included  in  what  afterward  became  the  Urbana  Circuit 
until  1853,  when  it  was  set  off  as  a  station. 

The  Methodist  Church  moved  with  everything  else  from  Old  Homer 
to  the  new  town  in  1855.  Its  early  preachers,  after  the  village  was 
made  a  Methodist  station,  were  Rev.  William  Sim,  Rev.  J.  Cavett,  Rev. 
J.  C.  Long,  Rev.  J.  Shinn,  Rev.  Peter  Wallace,  Rev.  Isaac  Groves  and 
Rev.  G.  W.  Fairbanks.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  P.  Edgar. 

The  Presbyterians  of  Homer  organized  in  1859  and  have  had 
as  pastors  Revs.  McNaire,  Jinkens,  Knox,  West,  Hunter,  McNutt,  Steele, 
Shedd,  Clymer,  Briar,  Williamson,  Gherette,  Barrows,  Zeimer,  Baker  and 
McEwen  (John  A.).  The  original  house  of  worship  was  erected  in 
1873 ;  was  remodeled  in  1898  and  rebuilt  in  1909.  The  church  member- 
ship is  now  225. 

THE  CORPORATION 

The  records  of  the  village  of  Homer  do  not  extend  farther  back  than 
1880  and,  through  the  courtesy  of  E.  L.  Bowen,  who  has  held  the  position 
of  village  clerk  from  September  4,  1905  (his  present  term  expires  May 
1,  1918)  the  following  are  given  as  the  successive  presidents  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  and  the  village  clerks : 

Presidents :  Joseph  Thomas,  1880-85 ;  A.  C.  Woody,  1885-90 ;  W.  W. 
Mudge,  1890-94;  J.  W.  Wallace,  1894-95;  J.  N.  Gunder,  1895-96;  W. 
W.  Mudge,  1896-97;  R.  C.  Wright,  1897-98;  J.  Bennett,  1898-99;  W.  A. 
Conkey,  1899-1900;  J.  Bennett,  1900-01;  F.  M.  Smith,  1901-02;  Hugh 
O'Neil,  1902-05;  H.  J.  Wiggins,  1905-07;  H.  M.  Smoot,  1907-11;  R.  A. 
Roloff,  1911-14;  Fay  R.  Current,  1914-17. 

Village  Clerks:  W.  V.  Zorns,  1880-84;  J.  E.  Spraker,  1884-94; 
C.  A.  Conkey,  1894-95;  C.  J.  Upp,  1895-96;  L.  L.  Hamill,  1896-97; 
W.  H.  Brown,  1897,  resigned;  J.  T.  Palmer,  1897,  resigned;  J.  E. 
Spraker,  1897-1901;  F.  0.  Elliott,  1901-03;  J.  E.  Spraker,  1903-05; 
Geo.  W.  Clark,  1905,  resigned;  E.  L.  Bowen,  1905— 

VILLAGE  OF  TODAY 

Homer  has  a  good  township  and  village  hall,  a  substantial  public 
schoolhouse  (completed  in  1892  and  accommodating  270  pupils),  and 


474  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

its  electric  light  is  furnished  by  a  private  plant,  operated  as  the  Homer 
Light  and  Power  Company.  Its  police  and  fire  protection  are  all  that 
are  necessary,  and  its  two  principal  streets  are  well  paved  with  brick. 
Through  the  persistent  work  and  good  management  of  the  Community 
Club,  of  which  H.  M.  Smoot  is  president,  the  township  has  fully  twelve 
miles  of  substantial  concrete  roads,  and  is  well  advanced  in  the  Good 
Eoads  Movement.  Homer  Park,  one  mile  north  of  the  village,  is  an 
attractive  recreation  ground  owned  by  W.  B.  McKinley  and  managed  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  B.  Burkhardt. 

Besides  a  number  of  handsome  stores,  the  village  has  two  banks — 
the  Citizens  and  that  of  Eaynor  &  Babb — and  two  grain  elevators,  owned 


HOMER'S  MAIN  STREET 

and  operated  by  Frederick  Eose  and  J.  M.  Current.     The  Eose  elevator 
was  erected  in  1908  and  has  a  capacity  of  100,000  bushels. 

NEWSPAPERS  OF  HOMER 

Homer  has  had  a  newspaper  for  nearly  sixty  years,  the  local  press 
having  a  present-day  representative  in  the  Enterprise.  The  Homer 
Journal  was  the  first  newspaper,  and  was  established  in  1859  by  George 
Knapp.  Its  editor  went  to  the  front  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War 
and  left  the  Journal  to  its  fate.  In  November,  1865,  it  was  revived  under 
John  W.  Summers,  but  in  1870  was  moved  to  Sidney.  In  February, 
1897,  J.  M.  Gray,  who  had  previously  published  a  paper  at  Gifford, 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY  475 

issued  the  first  number  of  the  Pilot.     Two  years  afterward  it  was  moved 
to  Allerton,  Vermilion  County. 

The  successful  venture  in  local  journalism  is  the  Enterprise,  founded 
in  1877  by  John  C.  Cromer,  and  succeeded  by  I.  A.  Baker  in  1880, 
Willard  L.  Sampson  in  1885,  J.  B.  Morgan  in  1889,  J.  G.  White  in 
1911  and  Borgan  F.  Morgan  in  1912. 

THE  WOMAN'S  CLUB 

In  considering  the  elevating  influences  which  have  given  Homer 
cultural  standing  in  the  county,  both  the  public  library  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  Mrs.  P.  E.  Wiggins  and  the  Woman's  Club — the  latter 
organized  and  sustained  by  most  of  the  intelligent  ladies  of  the  village — - 
are  entitled  to  special  mention.  The  data  for  a  complete  notice  of  the 
latter  organization  has  been  courteously  furnished. 

The  Homer  Woman's  Club  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  Tuesday  Club, 
which  was  organized  December  13,  1897,  with  the  following  officers: 
Mrs.  E.  T.  Mudge,  president;  Mrs.  J.  G.  White,  vice  president;  Mrs.  W. 
J.  Elliott,  secretary-treasurer.  In  the  following  January  a  constitution 
was  adopted.  The  club  opened  with  twenty-eight  active  members,  the 
membership  being  limited  to  thirty.  American  history  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  club  during  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence.  Various 
literary  features  have  since  been  added.  The  object  of  the  club  was  also 
social,  as  well  as  literary  culture,  and  it  was  therefore  the  custom  to 
hold  several  open  meetings  each  year,  which  included  auction  sales, 
guessing  contests,  ghost  parties,  valentine  parties,  musicales,  six  o'clock 
dinners,  house  picnics,  railroad  journeys,  gypsy  camps,  negro  weddings 
and  lectures  by  University  of  Illinois  professors.  The  history  of  the 
club  would  be  incomplete  without  mention  of  the  banquet  which  the 
husbands  of  the  members  gave  on  Thanksgiving  evening  of  1899. 
Parliamentary  drills,  in  connection  with  literary  and  historic  studies, 
and  various  socials  at  the  houses  of  the  members,  preceded  a  visit  of 
Mrs.  C.  B.  Butler,  Mrs.  Stengle  and  Mrs.  Lawson  to  the  Decatur 
Woman's  Club,  and  the  consequent  decision  on  the  part  of  the  Tuesday 
Club  to  join  the  Federation.  In  1903  the  name  was  therefore  changed 
to  the  Woman's  Club.  Up  to  that  time  the  successive  presidents  of  the 
club  had  been  Mesdames  E.  T.  Mudge,  A.  L.  Lyons,  W.  Lawson  and  J. 
G.  White.  The  present  officers  of  the  Woman's  Club  are  as  follows: 
president,  Mrs.  F.  Sickel ;  vice-president,  Miss  Lillian  Conkey ;  secretary, 
Mrs.  H.  P.  Morrison;  treasurer,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Vollborn;  historian,  Mrs. 


476  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

W.  S.  Hess.     It  has  a  total  membership  of  60,  divided  thus :  literary  and 
travel  section,  28 ;  domestic  science  section,  32. 

Homer  has  also  a  Chautauqua  Circle  of  some  strength. 

LODGES 

The  leading  lodges  in  the  village  are  those  of  the  Masonic  order, 
Woodmen  of  America,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

The  Odd  Fellows  of  Homer  were  organized  in  February,  1858,  with 
Albert  Norton  as  Noble  Grand ;  William  M.  Lummies,  Vice  Grand ; 
John  B.  Thomas,  secretary;  John  K.  Leonard,  treasurer.  The  local 
lodge  has  a  present  membership  of  112,  with  the  following  in  office: 
W.  F.  Barton,  N.  G.;  Ralph  O'Neil,  V.  G.;  H.  E.  Hoffman,  secretary; 
R.  A.  Rolloff,  treasurer. 

The  first  elective  officers  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  lodge 
at  Homer  were :  N.  0.  Barnes,  V.  C. ;  J.  B.  Hendrickson,  W.  A. ;  W.  H. 
Brown,  clerk;  J.  G.  White,  banker.  The  membership  is  175  and  the 
officers  as  follows :  A.  J.  Conkey,  V.  C. ;  W.  T.  Davis,  W.  A. ;  0.  P.  Dick- 
son,  clerk;  C.  A.  Fry,  banker. 

Brilliant  Lodge  No.  232,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized  January 
3,  1890,  with  the  following  chief  elective  officers:  C.  C.,  J.  M.  Ochel- 
tree;  V.  C.,  W.  Q.  Wallace;  Prelate,  J.  A.  Allison;  K.  of  R.  S.,  H.  B. 
Johnson.  The  present  number  of  members  is  41,  and  the  following  are 
serving:  C.  C.,  Fay  R.  Current;  V.  C.,  Frank  L.  Sharp;  Prelate,  New- 
ton G.  Foreman;  M.  of  W.,  Florin  Sanks;  K.  of  R.  S.,  Carl  A.  Conkey. 


CHAPTEK  XV 
BROWN  TOWNSHIP  AND  FISHER 

EARLY  SETTLERS  IN  THE  TOWNSHIP — FOOSLAND  PLATTED — VILLAGE  OF 
FISHER — THE  NEWSPAPERS — FISHER'S  CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES. 

The  extreme  southeastern  part  of  Brown  Township,  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  county,  lies  in  the  edge  of  the  main  Sangamon  Tim- 
ber; otherwise,  the  country  stretches  away  toward  the  northwest,  into 
Ford  and  McLean  counties,  somewhat  broken  by  the  Sangamon,  as  a 
beautiful  rolling  prairie,  fertile  as  well  as  charming.  In  the  Sangamon 
Timber  of  the  southeast  skirting  the  river,  and  on  the  Eantoul  branch 
of  the  Illinois  Central,  is  the  neat  and  growing  village  of  Fisher,  already 
verging  toward  its  thousand  people,  while  in  the  midst  of  the  north- 
western prairie  lands  is  the  pretty  little  hamlet  of  Foosland,  on  the 
Wabash  line. 

EARLY  SETTLERS  IN  THE  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  settler  in  Brown  Township  was  William  B.  King  who,  in 
1834,  settled  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  5,  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  township  south  of  the  Sangamon.  He  entered  his  claim 
in  the  following  year,  which  was  the  first  entry  in  the  township.  King 
located  upon  the  old  Danville  and  Fort  Clark  road,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  he  squatted  there  alone,  as  far  as'  permanent  neighbors  were  con- 
cerned. But  his  place  soon  became  a  quite  popular  resort  for  travelers 
along  that  highway,  like  Prather's  on  the  Salt  Fork  and  Newcomb's  at 
the  ford  of  the  Sangamon.  Only  two  other  entries  of  land,  other  than 
King's,  were  made  in  the  township  previous  to  1840  and  they  did  not 
become  homesteads  for  some  time.  It  was  William  Brown,  an  early 
settler  on  Section  3,  in  the  northern  timber  belt,  after  whom  the  town- 
ship was  named;  which  was  not,  however,  set  off  from  East  Bend  until 
1869. 

Thomas  Stevens,  a  wealthy  cattle  dealer,  settled  in  the  north  part 
of  the  township  in  1855,  and  afterward  moved  to  Gibson  City,  Ford 
County.  About  the  same  time  Ithaman  Maroney  located  in  the  extreme 

477 


478  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

northwest  corner,  but  in  1862  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and  did  not 
return  to  the  county.  William  H.  Groves  came  in  1854  and  located  on 
Section  34,  about  two  miles  west  of  the  present  village  of  Fisher;  when 
he  died  there,  some  forty  years  afterward,  he  had  long  held  the  record  as 
the  oldest  living  settler  of  the  township.  Among  other  pioneers  were 
Carl  Dobson,  C.  C.  Harris,  William  Peabody,  David  Cooter,  John 
Strauss.  Lyman  Smith  and  Steven  Brown  and  William  Foos. 

FOOSLAND  PLATTED 

Various  members  of  the  Foos  family  acquired  large  tracts  of  land 
in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  township,  and  upon  a  portion  of  one 
of  the  farms  was  platted  the  station  of  Foosland  on  the  Wabash  Rail- 
road. The  largest  of  the  farms  at  that  point  was  owned  by  F.  W.  Foos, 
a  resident  of  New  York  City.  At  a  comparatively  late  day  it  was  thus 
described  by  the  Champaign  Times:  "The  Foos  farm,  at  Foosland,  con- 
sists of  3,800  acres.  The  owner,  F.  W.  Foos,  resides  in  New  York  City, 
but  often  comes  to  Foosland  and  is  well  known  there.  His  resident 
manager  is  R.  G.  Ball,  a  good  farmer  and  most  competent  man  in  every 
way.  For  the  past  fifteen  years  Mr.  Ball  has  had  the  management  of 
this  big  farm  and  seems  to  have  given  entire  satisfaction,  both  to  tenants 
and  owner.  The  farm  rents  to  tenants  for  $4  per  acre,  cash,  for  either 
grain  or  grass  land,  except  that  when  as  much  as  one  hundred  acres  of 
grass  are  rented  to  one  man,  the  price  is  but  $3.75.  This  is  much  lower 
than  neighboring  land  can  be  rented  for  and  therefore  it  is  much  in 
demand.  There  are  thirteen  tenants  in  all.  Of  the  3,800  acres,  there 
are  1,500  in  grass,  700  in  oats  and  2,100  in  corn — at  least,  that  was  the 
proportion  last  season,  but  the  proportions  differ  yearly.  An  effort  is 
made  to  keep  changing  from  grain  to  grass,  thus  keeping  the  fertility  of 
the  soil.  The  farm  is  moderately  well  tiled,  has  fairly  good  fences 
around  it,  but  the  buildings  are  not  very  new  or  up  to  date.  Last  year 
there  were  raised  on  this  farm — not  including  the  1,500  acres  of  grass — 
105,000  bushels  of  corn  and  2,100  bushels  of  oats." 

The  Foos  farm  has  always  been  considered  the  best  example  of  agri- 
cultural operations  conducted  on  a  large  scale  in  Brown  Township. 

Howard,  or  Lotus,  is  a  station  on  the  Wabash,  in  the  southwestern 
corner  of  the  township. 

VILLAGE  OF  FISHER 

Fisher  is  the  banking  and  trading  center  of  a  large  area  of  country, 
which  is  primarily  agricultural.  It  is  a  fine  grain  region  and  its  two 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


479 


large  elevators  are  controlled  by  the  Farmers  Grain  and  Coal  Company 
and  Vennum  &  Gilmore,  and  its  two  banks,  the  First  State  and  the 
Farmers  Exchange,  furnish  financial  accommodations  equal  to  any  call 
of  the  farmers  or  business  men. 

Fisher  is  a  good  place  in  which  to  reside,  being  provided  with  good 
water,  electric  light,  a  well-managed  graded  school,  churches  and 
societies,  and,  as  a  climax  two  newspapers,  not  only  to  advertise  such 
advantages,  but  to  call  attention,  in  behalf  of  its  citizens,  to  the  pressing 
needs  of  the  community. 

The  Fisher  Electric  Light  plant,  owned  and  operated  by  the  village 
corporation,  was  built  in  1905-06.  It  became  village  property  in  1908. 

The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  public  school  system  of  Fisher 


THIRD  STREET  LOOKING  NORTH 

is  172,  and  the  handsome  building  now  occupied  was  erected  in  the  fall 
of  1914  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.     F.  L.  Lowman  is  the  superintendent. 

THE  NEWSPAPERS 

In  December,  1889,  William  Eodman  commenced  the  publication  of 
the  Fisher  Times,  which  he  continued  for  about  two  years,  when  the 
office  was  sold  to  Naylor  &  Bill,  who  changed  the  name  to  the  Fisher 
Reporter.  A.  J.  Bill  then  became  sole  proprietor  and  thus  remained 
for  about  a  year,  and  was  successively  followed  by  R.  M.  Hall  and 
George  E.  Hass.  The  latter,  who  was  both  a  practical  printer  and  a 
versatile  editor,  continued  to  manage  it  for  six  years,  or  until  August, 


480 


HISTORY   OF   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTY 


1902,  when  he  sold  the  newspaper  to  Alva  Gilmore,  the  present  editor 
and  proprietor. 

The  Fisher  News  was  founded  by  Pearl  M.  Hollingsworth  in  May, 
1913.  He  still  owns  and  edits  it. 

FISHER'S  CHURCHES  AND  SOCIETIES 

The  religious  needs  of  Fisher  are  supplied  by  three  churches — the 
United  Brethren,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  and  the  Christian,  mentioned 
and  described  in  the  order  of  their  founding.  The  United  Brethren 
Church  was  organized  at  the  residence  of  Eev.  David  Naylor,  two  miles 
west  of  Fisher,  in  1867,  by  Eev.  William  Ferguson,  of  the  Central 


PUBLIC  SCHOOL,  FISHER 

Illinois  Conference.  In  the  year  following  a  schoolhouse  was  built  in 
the  neighborhood  and  regular  services  were  held  in  it  until  1875,  when 
the  first  house  of  worship  was  erected  and  dedicated  by  Lyman  Chit- 
tendon,  of  Westfield,  Illinois.  On  the  site  of  Naylor  cemetery  services 
were  held  in  the  church  named  until  the  organization  of  a  special  society 
at  Fisher.  About  1890  both  societies  were  merged,  the  town  church 
building  was  sold,  and  the  country  meeting-house  was  moved  into  the 
village  and  repaired.  It  was  then  dedicated  by  Bishop  Castle,  and 
occupied  by  the  society  until  1914,  when  a  modern  structure  was  erected 
on  the  site  of  the  old  church.  It  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  H.  H.  Font 
under  the  pastorate  of  T.  H.  Decker.  Following  Rev.  William  Fer- 
guson, organizer  of  the  Fisher  Church,  were  these  pastors :  Revs.  Blake, 
J.  Robeson,  J.  Crowley,  B.  F.  Rinehart,  Yeagle.  Samuel,  Foulk, 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  481 

(Sister)  Nella  Niswanger,  Luke,  Welch,  G.  N.  Arnold,  W.  G.  Metsker, 
A.  F.  Brandenburg,  Wilstead,  J.  G.  Breeden,  W.  E.  Muncie,  (Sister)  E. 
J.  Nash,  M.  L.  Watson,  H.  D.  Hudson,  T.  H.  Decker  and  C.  0.  Myers. 
The  church  society  now  has  a  membership  of  about  seventy. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Fisher  was  organized  in  1870 
and  a  building  for  worship  completed  the  same  year.  Its  successive 
pastors  have  been  Eev.  J.  T.  Orr,  Eev.  Melchoir  Auer,  Eev.  T.  I.  Coultas, 
Eev.  C.  E.  McClintock,  Eev.  D.  P.  Lyon,  Eev.  J.  H.  Austin,  Eev.  J.  D. 
Botkin,  Eev^  Sampson  Shinn,  Eev.  E.  S.  Wamsley,  Eev.  E.  C.  Harper, 
Eev.  J.  F.  Homey,  Eev.  J.  T.  Fender,  Eev.  W.  H.  Schwartz,  Eev. 
William  Gooding,  Bev.  J.  E.  Eeasoner,  Eev.  D.  G.  DuBoise,  Eev.  T.  0. 
Baty,  Eev.  J.  C.  Eninger,  Eev.  E.  K.  Crews,  Eev.  J.  F.  Clearwaters, 
Eev.  S.  A.  Maxey,  Eev.  D.  H.  Hartley,  Eev.  William  Carter  and  Eev. 
J.  W.  Dunclas.  A  second  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1874  and, 
with  the  continued  growth  of  the  society,  a  third,  and  a  far  more 
commodious  building  was  erected  in  1912.  It  is  designed  not  only  to 
accommodate  a  present  membership  of  225,  but  provision  is  even  made 
for  the  future.  The  building,  which  is  located  on  the  first  block  south 
of  the  central  part  of  town,  is  forty-six  by  sixty  feet  in  dimensions,  of 
the  colonial  style  of  architecture,  brick  veneered  and  slate  roof;  the 
auditorium,  with  domed  ceiling,  is  finished  in  mission  oak  and  is  beauti- 
fully frescoed.  The  entire  building  is  heated  with  steam,  lighted  with 
electricity,  and  modern  in  every  way.  It  was  completed  at  a  cost  of 
$11,000. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Fisher  was  organized  in  October,  1885,  and 
has  also  built  and  occupied  three  houses  of  worship — in  1886,  1903 
and  1917.  Its  present  home  is  an  up-to-date  handsome  edifice,  com- 
pleted under  the  pastorate  of  Eev.  Andrew  Scott,  who  ministers  to  the 
spiritual  needs  of  more  than  200  church  members.  The  regular  pastors 
of  the  Christian  Church,  besides  Mr.  Scott,  have  been  Eev.  H.  C.  Cassell, 
Eev.  A.  B.  Hubbard,  Eev.  H.  L.  Stipp,  Eev.  J.  W.  Kilborn,  Eev.  S.  E. 
Fisher,  Eev.  J.  Frank  Hollingsworth  and  Eev.  A.  L.  West. 

The  standard  orders  represented  by  lodges  in  Fisher  are  the  Masonic, 
with  a  chapter  of  the  Eastern  Star ;  the  Odd  Fellows,  with  the  Eebekahs, 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  One  of  the  oldest  of  these 
bodies  is  Fisher  Lodge  No.  704,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  which  was  instituted  in 
March,  ]882.  W.  H.  Allison  was  its  first  Noble  Grand,  and  Ed. 
Waddington  is  at  present  in  office.  The  membership  of  the  lodge  is 
about  sixty.  The  Masonic  lodge  (Sangamon,  No.  801)  was  organized 
in  December,  1891,  with  John  Odell  as  Master.  Oscar  Zook  is  now  in 
the  chair  and  presides  over  a  lodge  of  about  sixty  members. 


1—31 


CHAPTEE  XVI 
ST.  JOSEPH  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE 

OLD  ST.  JOSEPH — PIONEER  SETTLERS — THE  BARTLEY  AND  STAYTON 
FAMILIES — HIRAM  EANKIN  AND  THOMAS  EICHARDS — DEVELOPMENT 
OF  THE  VILLAGE — ST.  JOSEPH  OF  THE  PRESENT. 

St.  Joseph  is  one  of  the  thriving  townships,  comprising  six  square 
miles,  southeast  of  the  central  part  of  the  county,  and  lying  in  the 
western  edge  of  the  Salt  Fork  Timber  region  which  stretches  eastward 
into  Vermilion  County.  With  the  denuding  of  much  of  the  timber 
lands  the  old-time  name  has  long  since  lost  much  of  its  former  sig- 
nificance, although  the  second  and  third  growths  still  make  a  fine 
showing  in  some  localities.  In  St.  Joseph  Township  the  main  body  of 
timber  is  still  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  stream  of  Salt  Fork,  which 
runs  from  north  to  south  through  the  central  sections;  still,  the  wooded 
lands  in  that  belt  are  small  in  proportion  to  their  extent  in  the  early 
times.  The  West  Branch,  or  Saline  Creek,  which  unites  with  the  main 
stream  in  Section  10,  north  of  the  central  part  of  the  township,  was 
never  thickly  timbered.  Thus  drained  and  watered,  St.  Joseph  Town- 
ship is  well  adapted  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock  raising. 

This  borderland  between  the  Salt  Fork  Timber  and  the  prairie  lands 
farther  westward  received  an  accession  of  substantial  residents  at  an 
early  day,  and  was  settled  quite  rapidly  when  the  old-time  prejudice 
against  the  comparatively  unwooded  tracts  was  dissipated.  At  a  still 
later  date,  about  1866,  came  the  railroad,  now  known  as  the  Big  Four, 
to  add  to  the  advantages  of  the  township  as  a  section  in  which  to  earn 
a  livelihood  and  enjoy  life. 

OLD  ST.  JOSEPH 

The  flourishing  village  of  St.  Jospeh,  near  the  crossing  of  the  Cleve- 
land, Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis  and  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
railroads — directly  on  the  line  of  the  Big  Four,  as  well  as  on  the  Dan- 
ville, Urbana  &  Champaign  electric — is  known  to  have  been  the  site  of 
a  favorite  Indian  camp,  as  well  as  a  burial  place  for  the  red  people;  and, 

482 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  483 

like  the  whites,  they  honored  their  dead  by  selecting  beautiful  locations 
for  their  last  resting  places.  Several  of  their  burial  mounds  were  long 
traceable  at  and  near  Old  St.  Joe,  which  preceded  the  present  village. 

PIONEER  SETTLERS 

The  original  survey  of  St.  Joseph  Township  was  made  in  1821  by 
Jacob  Judy,  then  deputy  surveyor  general,  and,  although  several  entries 
of  land  were  made  in  1829,  no  permanent  settlement  is  recorded  before 
1830.  Nicholas  Yount  squatted  on  Section  26,  about  two  miles  south 
of  the  present  village  of  St.  Joseph,  sometime  during  1828,  and  two 
years  afterward  entered  land  in  a  regular  way.  He  afterward  resided 
in  that  locality  for  many  years,  and  his  children  and  their  families  after 
him. 

The  founders  of  the  prolific  Swearingen  family,  Bartley  and  John, 
made  the  first  land  entries  in  1829  and  1830,  their  selections  being  in 
Sections  36  and  24,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  township.  In  the 
latter  year  John  Salisbury,  the  county's  first  sheriff,  also  entered  land 
in  Section  24;  and  the  Peterses — William,  Blisha,  Samuel,  Joseph, 
Eobert  and  another  William,  the  three  last  named  sons  of  the  first — in 
Sections  25  and  26,  not  far  from  the  present  station  of  Tipton,  on  the 
Eastern  Illinois,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  township.  William  I. 
Peters  came  in  1833  and  entered  lands  in  Sections  22  and  23,  a  mile 
south  of  the  village.  David  Swearingen  came  in  1831,  and  two  years 
later  entered  a  tract  in  Section  35,  in  the  far  southern  part  of  the 
township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  The  old  homestead 
remained  in  his  family  until  a  comparatively  recent  date.  As  stated  by 
Judge  Cunningham :  "The  name  of  this  family,  so  numerous  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county,  appears  in  the  abstracts  of  titles  to  the  real 
estate  of  that  section  more  frequently  than  that  of  any  other  family.  Its 
holdings  since  1830  have  been  very  large." 

THE  BARTLEY  AND  STATION  FAMILIES 

Joseph  Stayton  came  here  from  Kentucky  October  10,  1830,  and  in 
the  following  year  settled  upon  land  in  Section  26,  where  he  raised  a 
family  of  sons  and  daughters,  who  became  prominent  in  the  township. 

George,  Benjamin  and  Jacob  Bartley  arrived  about  1831,  and  within 
the  following  two  or  three  years  entered  lands  in  Sections  22  and  23. 
In  1833  Jacob  Bartley  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of 
County  Commissioners. 


484  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

The  first  person  buried  in  St.  Joseph  Township  was  the  mother  of 
Nicholas  Yount,  and  the  first  native  child  was  that  of  Joseph  Stayton, 
which  died  in  infancy.  John  Ford  taught  the  first  school  in  1833,  the 
schoolhouse  being  Squire  Peters'  kitchen. 

The  Bartley  and  Stayton  families  were  united  in  marriage,  many 
years  after  they  had  settled  in  the  township,  by  David  B.  Stayton,  the 
son  of  Joseph,  and  Sarah  Bartley,  daughter  of  Jacob.  Mr.  Stayton  was 
a  lad  of  twelve  when  his  father  located  on  Section  26.  His  first  play- 
mates were  Indians,  who  used  to  camp  during  the  winter  on  the  east 
bank  of  Salt  Fork,  some  five  hundred  strong,  a  short  distance  below 
Prather's  ford.  For  many  years  after  the  organization  of  the  township, 
in  1861,  Mr.  Stayton  was  supervisor  and  collector,  and  he  was  always 
consulted  about  tow.nship  matters  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  also  became 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  "of  the  county,  his  estate  of  six 
hundred  acres  being  a  permanent  exhibit  of  intelligent  and  successful 
farming  and  stock-raising.  For  years  before  his  death  he  was  the 
undisputed  "oldest  settler  of  St.  Joseph  Township." 

About  the  time  that  the  Bartleys  located,  Cyrus  Strong  and  his  sons, 
Orange  and  Ambrosej  also  entered  lands  in  Sections  22  and  23,  as  well 
as  in  Sections  13  and  15,  farther  north  and  near  the  present  limits  of 
the  village  of  St.  Joseph.  Their  property  in  the  latter  section  lay  along 
the  Salt  Fork  and  embraced  a  famous  ford,  first  called  Strong's  ford 
and  later,  Kelley's.  Joseph  T.  Kelley  maintained  a  ferry  at  that  cross- 
ing place.  Cyrus  Strong,  the  head  of  the  original  family,  was  elected  a 
county  commissioner  in  1836,  and,  as  the  saying  is,  was  "quite  a  man." 

Samuel  Mapes  took  up  land  in  Section  13,  as  neighbors  of  the  Strong 
family,  and  the  homestead  was  inherited  by  his  son,  Daniel. 

HIRAM  RANKIN  AND  THOMAS  RICHARDS 

Hiram  Rankin  and  Thomas  Richards,  friends,  came  in  1832,  and 
jointly  entered  lands  in  Sections  18  and  24,  in  the  western  and  eastern 
parts  of  the  township,  respectively.  While  a  bachelor  Mr.  Rankin 
lived  with  the  Richards  family  at  Hickory  Grove,  Section  18,  but  after 
he  married  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Patterson  established  a  home  of  his 
own  in  Section  24,  on  the  State  road,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  Mr.  Richards  and  his  descendants  clung  to  the  farm  in  Sec- 
tion 18. 

In  1835  James  Cowden  entered  a  homestead  in  Section  33,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Fork,  where  he  lived  with  his  family  until  his  death 
in  1860.  In  the  same  year  the  Argo  family,  comprising  Benjamin, 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  485 

Alexander,  Moses  and  Isaac,  established  homesteads  in  Sections  2,  3, 
10,  22  and  24,  and  evidently  made  their  choice  of  lands  with  a  view  to 
permanent  settlement,  as  they  all  spent  their  lives  where  they  located 
at  the  time  mentioned.  Section  10  adjoins  the  present  site  of  the  village 
to  the  northwest. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  VILLAGE 

In  1835  Robert  Prather  entered  lands  in  Section  11,  near  the 
crossing  of  the  Salt  Fork  by  the  Danville  &  Fort  Clark  road,  and 
Prather's  Ford  at  the  site  of  Old  St.  Joe  became  even  more  famous  than 
Strong's  Ford,  a  short  distance  to  the  south.  "At  the  height  of  its 


ST.  JOSEPH'S  MAIN  STUEET 

glory,"  says  C.  H.  Gallion  in  his  paper  read  at  the  Old  Settlers  reunion 
of  July,  1886,  "the  village  could  boast  only  of  three  stores,  a 
postoffice,  a  tavern,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  several  dwellings.  The 
naming  of  St.  Joseph  is  described  by  the  following  circumstance:  It  is 
related  that  at  one  time,  when  Joseph  Kelley  kept  the  tavern  stand,  a 
stranger  came  along  and  stopped  with  Mr.  Kelley,  and  the  two  became 
quite  agreeable  friends  and  for  several  days  had  a  jovial  time  together. 
When  the  stranger  departed,  Kelley,  out  of  consideration  for  the  good 
time  they  had  had  in  company,  refused  to  charge  him  anything,  where- 
upon the  mysterious  stranger  told  the  landlord  that  he  would  'do  some- 
thing for  him'  for  his  kindness.  Soon  afterward,  the  stranger,  whom  it 
seems  was  some  politician  of  more  than  ordinary  influence,  and  in  some 
way  connected  with  the  administration  at  Washington,  secured  the  estab- 


486  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY 

lishment  of  a  postoffice,  the  need  of  which  he  had  perhaps  learned  during 
his  stay  at  Kelley's.  Kelley  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  in  his  honor 
it  was  called  St.  Joseph,  from  Kelley's  first  name." 

(Kelley's  tavern,  here  referred  to,  was  a  famous  caravansary  in  its 
time.  Abraham  Lincoln  frequently  dined  or  lodged  there  on  his  way 
from  Bloomington  to  Urbana  and  Danville,  while  riding  the  circuit  of 
the  courts  with  Judge  David  Davis.) 

"The  present  thriving  village  of  St.  Joseph  dated  its  existence  from 
the  building  of  the  Indiana,  Bloomington  and  Western  Eailway  in  1866. 
The  earliest  settler  on  the  site  of  the  town  was  Catharine  Hoss,  who 
entered  forty  acres  of  land  in  1839.  The  first  business  house  was 
opened  in  1870,  in  the  west  part  of  town  by  Wm.  0.  Shreve  and  Van  B. 
Swearingen.  These  gentlemen  have  since  been  actively  identified  with 
the  business  interests  of  the  place,  and  have  contributed  not  a  little  to 
its  prosperity. 

"Shortly  after,  A.  D.  Ralph  moved  up  a  store  building  from  the  old 
town,  and  opened  the  first  business  house  in  the  east  part  of  the  village. 

"In  the  early  part  of  1880,  the  village  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  state,  and  at  present  comprises  some  twenty-five  business 
firms,  two  public  halls,  two  handsome  churches  and  a  large  and  well 
conducted  graded  school. 

"On  the  construction  of  the  I.,  B.  and  W.  Ry.,  a  station  called  May- 
view  was  established  in  St.  Joseph  Township  about  four  miles  west  of 
the  village,  and  now  consists  of  a  store,  postoffice,  blacksmith  shop,  grain 
elevator  and  a  handsome  Methodist  Church. 

"St.  Joseph  Township  has  held  its  place  among  the  foremost  town- 
ships, and  in  an  early  day,  had  much  to  do  in  the  civil  government  of 
the  county.  The  law  establishing  this  county  provided  for  the  election 
of  three  commissioners,  to  be  the  highest  in  authority  in  the  county. 
Jacob  Bartley,  of  St.  Joseph,  was  a  member  of  the  first  board.  Six  of 
the  members  of  the  first  grand  jury,  and  three  of  the  first  petit  jury 
were  from  St.  Joseph.  The  first  pooriarm  in  the  county  was  in  St. 
Joseph  Township,  the  one  now  owned  by  Abe  Hoy.  The  first  bridge  in 
the  county  spanned  the  Salt  Fork  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  State  road 
in  St.  Joseph,  and  the  first  regular  preacher  in  the  county  made 
St.  Joseph  one  of  his  appointments.  The  first  organized  drainage  dis- 
trict in  the  state  under  the  new  law,  was  in  St.  Joseph,  and  under  the 
head  of  public  improvements,  St.  Joseph  Township  donated  $25,000  for 
the  construction  of  the  I.,  B.  and  W.  Ry.  The  first  supervisor  was  S.  S. 
Rankin,  and  the  subsequent  representatives  in  the  county  board  have 
been  Mahlon  Glascock,  V.  B.  Swearingen,  H.  W.  Drullinger,  G.  W. 


HISTOEY   OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


487 


Doyle,  Jno.  L.  Smith,  David  B.  Slayton,  Abe  Thompson,  W.  0.  Shreve 
and  the  present  incumbent,  V.  J.  Gallion." 

ST.  JOSEPH  OF  THE  PRESENT 

The  St.  Joseph  village  of  today  is  a  progressive  little  community  of 
some  eight  hundred  people,  provided  with  thorough  facilities  of  trans- 
portation and  communication;  good  drinking  water  and  electric  light 
service  (through  the  Central  Illinois  Company)  ;  a  modern  public  school 
(superintendent,  A.  A.  'Allen)  ;  two  banks  (the  Exchange  and  St. 
Joseph ) ;  two  elevators,  owned  and  operated  by  Swearingen  &  Walker 
and  J.  A.  Gillis;  two  implement  depots;  a  substantial  newspaper,  and 


THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL 

churches  and  societies  for  the  religious  and  social  gratification  of  both 
men  and  women. 

The  forerunner  of  the  St.  Joseph  Record  was  the  St.  Joseph  Eagle, 
established  by  Mr.  Wyninger  in  1890.  In  December,  1893,  it  was  sold 
to  J.  H.  Noble,  who  changed  its  name  to  the  Record  and  continued  its 
publication  until  September,  1897.  Mr.  Noble  then  sold  to  F.  L.  Dale 
and  Charles  W.  Dale.  Since  1904  the  latter  has  been  the  sole  proprietor, 
being  assisted  in  its  conduct  by  his  wife  in  the  making  of  a  most  useful 
local  newspaper. 

The  Methodist  Church  and  the  First  Church  of  Christ  have  well- 
supported  organizations  in  St.  Joseph.  The  former,  now  under  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  E.  B.  Houck,  has  occupied  two  houses  of  worship — the 
first  erected  in  1877  and  the  present  edifice,  completed  in  1915.  The 


488  HISTORY    OP    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Church  of  Christ,  of  which  the  pastor  is  Rev.  Guy  L.  Zerby,  completed 
its  present  meetinghouse  in  1908. 

That  St.  Joseph  is  well  supplied  with  secret  and  benevolent  lodges 
or  societies  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  these  local  organizations  are  in 
the  list:  Masonic,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
Ben  Hur,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  Pythian  Sisters  and  Royal 
Neighbors. 


CHAPTEE  XVII 
MAHOMET  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE 

EARLY  LAND  ENTRIES — MIDDLETOWN  PLATTED — ISAAC  V.  WILLIAMS 
AND  BENJAMIN  F.  HARRIS — MAHOMET  INCORPORATED  AS  A  VILLAGE 
— HISTORY  OF  THE  SCHOOLS — THE  LOCAL  NEWSPAPER — MAHOMET 
CHURCHES — SECRET  AND  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES. 

In  comparison  with  the  settlements  of  the  timber  tracts  along  the 
Salt  Fork,  the  Okaw  and  the  Ambraw,  in  the  southeastern,  southern 
and  central  parts  of  the  county,  those  established  along  the  Sangamon 
Eiver,  in  the  western  and  northwestern  sections,  were  of  a  rather  late 
date. 

EAHLY  LAND  ENTRIES 

The  first  entries  in  Mahomet  Township  were  made  by  Isaac  Busey, 
of  Urbana  at  the  Vanclalia  land  office,  on  October  22,  1832.  They 
covered  120  acres  in  Section  14,  80  acres  in  Section  15,  and  160  acres 
in  Section  23,  which  included  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  present  site 
of  Mahomet  Village  with  considerable  tracts  to  the  east  and  southeast. 
Later  in  the  same  year  he  entered  other  lands  in  Sections  22  and  23,  and 
on  October  27,  a  few  days  later,  Jonathan  Maxwell  filed  on  40  acres  in 
Section  22. 

On  October  29,  1832,  Henry  Osborn  took  up  lands  in  Sections  11 
and  12,  to  the  northeast.  All  the  lands  thus  entered  were  east  of  the 
river  in  the  timber  belt. 

On  August  10,  1833,  John  Bryan,  who  had  recently  become  Isaac 
Busey's  son-in-law,  entered  a  forty-acre  tract  in  Section  14  adjoining  the 
first  Busey  entry.  Thereon  the  Bryan  family  was  established  for  several 
generations.  In  1833  John  Meade  also  filed  a  homestead  claim  in  Sec- 
tion 15.  From  which  it  is  evident  that  most  of  the  entries  and  settle- 
ments were  made  on  lands  at  and  near  the  present  site  of  Mahomet 
Village. 

The  years  1834,  1835  and  1836  saw  numerous  entries  made  in  the 
northern  half  of  Mahomet  Township.  In  the  former  year  various  tracts 
in  Sections  9,  10,  11,  12,  14,  15,  16  and  17,  were  taken  up  by  Henry, 

489 


490  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN"    COUNTY 

David,  Solomon  and  James  Osborn,  John  Bryan,  Samuel  Hanna, 
William  Phillips,  John  G.  Robertson,  Lackland  Howard,  Charles  Parker, 
Noah  Bixler,  Jeremiah  Hollingsworth  and  John  Meade.  In  1835 
Noah  Bixler,  Martha  A.  Robertson,  Joseph  Brian,  Joel  Hormel,  Jacob 
Hammer,  Daniel  Henness,  Fielding  L.  Scott,  Joseph  Henness, 
Joseph  Hammer,  John  G.  Robertson  and  Joseph  Lindsey  entered  lands 
in  Sections  3,  9,  10,  11,  12,  14,  15  and  17,  and  in  1836  Jacob  Hammer, 
Noah  Bixler,  James  Bevans,  William  Justice,  John  J.  Rea,  John  Webb, 
George  Ritter,  Martha  A.  Robertson,  James  Parmes,  Jonathan  Maxwell, 
Jonathan  Scott,  Jeremiah  Hollingsworth,  Robert  M.  Patterson,  John 
Lindsey  and  Daniel  T.  Porter  became  landholders  in  Sections  1,  2,  3,  4, 
8,  9,  10,  13,  15  and  17. 

MlDDLETOWN  PLATTED 

On  March  15,  1836,  Mr.  Porter  entered  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  Section  15,  and  on  the  10th  of  the  month  placed 
on  record  a  town  plat  covering  thirty-eight  lots  of  that  entry  which  he 
named  Middletown.  The  plat  conformed  to  the  present  Bloomington 
road  and  was  the  original  of  the  village  of  Mahomet.  Additions  to  the 
original  town  were  mainly  made  to  the  south,  west  and  north. 

ISAAC  V.  WILLIAMS  AND  BENJAMIN  F.  HAURIS 

About  the  time  that  Middletown  was  platted  the  stock-raising  industry 
obtained  the  solid  foothold  in  Mahomet  Township  to  which  its  natural 
advantages  pointed.  Isaac  V.  Williams  brought  in  the  first  improved 
stock  from  Piatt  County,  his  residence  being  just  over  the  Champaign 
County  line.  Benjamin  F.  Harris  also  laid  the  basis  of  his  fortune, 
which  he  later  invested  at  Champaign  City,  in  the  increase  and  improve- 
ment of  his  wonderful  herds  which  grazed  over  the  grassy  stretches  of 
Mahomet  Township.  His  activities  in  that  field  covered  the  twenty 
years  previous  to  1856.  Before  the  railroads  came,  when  the  most 
profitable  markets  for  his  live  stock  products  were  Boston,  New  York 
and  Philadelphia — centers  reached  only  on  foot — "Uncle  Frank,"  as 
Mr.  Harris  was  affectionately  called,  was  the  hardest  worker  in  the 
county. 

Not  only  the  township  as  a  whole,  but  the  village  of  Mahomet,  was 
greatly  benefited  by  such  broad-gauge  operations.  Among  others  who 
cooperated  in  this  early  development  may  also  be  mentioned  Fielding  L. 
Scott,  John  Bryan,  Thomas  A.  Davidson  and  sons,  Wiley  Davis,  Rezin 
Bolton,  John  J.  Rea,  John  Carter,  George  Boyer,  William  Stearns, 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  491 

William  Harriott,  James  C.  Ware,  John  G.  Rayburn,  Joshua  Smith, 
J.  V.  Pittman,  James  C.  Kilgore,  John  W.  Park,  J.  D.  Webb  and  J.'Q. 
Thomas. 

MAHOMET  INCORPORATED  AS  A  VILLAGE 

When  the  Indianapolis,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railroad  was  built 
diagonally  through  the  township,  in  1866,  the  village  of  Mahomet 
received  such  an  impetus  that  it  was  incorporated  seven  years  later. 
Within  the  intervening  period  it  has  become  one  of  the  best  points  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  SCHOOLS 

From  the  first  the  township  and  the  village  have  taken  much  pride 
in  the  quality  of  their  schools  and  teachers,  and  S.  C.  Abbott,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  honored  citizens  of  the  town,  has  prepared  the  follow- 
ing sketch  covering  a  period  of  seventy-two  years,  or  from  the  time  of 
the  building  of  the  first  schoolhouse  in  1832  to  that  of  the  completion  of 
the  fine  structure  of  1904,  which,  in  turn,  was  burned  two  years  later. 

"The  first  schoolhouse  within  the  bounds  of  what  is  known  as  district 
No.  29  was  a  log  house  fourteen  by  16  feet  built  by  subscription  and 
labor  donations,  in  1832,  about  forty  rods  from  the  sand  bank  now 
owned  by  Jonas  Lester.  It  was  occupied  in  1833  by  George  Cooper, 
first  public  school  teacher  in  the  township,  at  a  salary  of  $15.00  per 
month  and  board  among  the  scholars. 

"The  next  was  a  log  house  near  where  Philip  Cherry's  old  house 
now  stands. 

"In  1847  a  frame  house  was  built  near  where  William  Lindsey  now 
lives,  and  in  1851  a  two-story  frame  house  near  where  the  present  brick 
one  stands.  This  one  was  sold  and  is  now  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Blanchet.  In  1864  was  built  the  brick  house  just  torn  down. 

"In  1836  a  school  commissioner  for  this  township,  John  Mead,  was 
appointed,  and  in  1838  the  first  school  trustees  were  chosen  as  follows: 
Jonathan  Maxwell,  James  Osborn  and  Fielding  Scott.  On  July  22, 
1836,  the  school  section  (16)  was  sold  at  auction  and  brought  $3,337.50 
cash  and  the  money  was  loaned  by  the  trustees.  The  interest  only  was 
to  be  used  forever  for  school  purposes,  and  for  68  years  that  sum  has 
been  loaned  and  interest  applied  and  the  principal  is  as  yet  intact.  The 
names  of  those  who  bought  the  land  were  James  Yapp,  John  Robertson, 
Fielding  Scott,  Jno.  J.  Rea,  Alvin  Barnet,  Thos.  Crabbe,  James  Meator, 
Zack  Osborn,  John  Mead  and  Michael  Jess.  The  first  school  treasurer 
was  Joseph  Lindsey,  appointed  in  1838.  Until  1840  the  township  was 


492  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

but  one  district.  That  year  Dr.  Xoble  Adams  was  the  teacher  for  the 
whole  township;  his  salary  was  $20.00  per  month  and  'board  himself.' 
In  1841  the  township  was  divided  and  made  into  three  districts.  Middle- 
town  was  district  No.  3.  Some  years  later  it  was  divided  again  and  then 
was  made  No.  2;  and  fifty  years  later,  No.  29.  In  1841  Isaac  Parmeter 
was  the  teacher;  then  followed  Dr.  Noble  Adams,  Joseph  Lindsey,  Jas. 
Brown,  Wm.  Danner,  Jas.  Brown,  Jas.  H.  Brown,  Geo.  McClure,  W. 
Stewart,  R.  P.  Carson,  A.  W.  Somers,  W.  Ingrain,  Geo.  Boyer,  Jas. 
Crane,  H.  Phillipps,  E.  Harwood,  D.  Cheney,  J.  Tinkham,  M.  Kelsey, 
Wm.  Whitney,  Rev.  S.  F.  Gleason,  J.  V.  Stone,  Wm.  Crayne,  W. 
Howard,  W.  Lindsey,  L.  Stewart,  Rev.  E.  French,  Chas.  Baker,  A.  D. 


BURNING  OF  THE  HIGH  SCHOOL,  MAHOMET 

Sizer,  who  for  fourteen  years  ending  in  May,  1884,  occupied  the  place 
as  principal.  The  above  are  names  of  teachers  from  1833  to  1884,  fifty- 
one  years.  Since  1865  it  has  been  a  graded  school  and  several  teachers 
employed  as  at  present.  The  names  above  are  principals. 

"The  names  of  all  the  teachers  since  1884  are  known  by  all  the  adult 
people  of  the  district.  If  we  omit  the  names  of  Rev.  S.  F.  Gleason  and 
C.  J.  Tinkham  of  Homer,  all  the  persons  above  named  prominent  in  this 
community  in  their  day  have  passed  away. 

"The  new  house  is  a  handsome  substantial  building,  concrete  founda- 
tion, deep  and  broad  with  granite  trimmings  and  a  slate  roof,  size 
70x60,  six  rooms  and  same  number  of  large  cloak  rooms,  prin- 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  493 

cipal's  room,  and  spacious  halls  all  furnished  in  latest  styles.  As  a 
whole  it  reflects  great  credit  on  the  school  board,  Messrs.  J.  0.  Rayburn, 
C.  L.  Lindsey  and  C.  B.  Hoit;  also  on  the  architects  and  the  contractor 
(Lon  Spurgin).  While  the  old  one  lasted  forty  years,  we  predict  eighty 
years  for  this  one.  The  cost  of  building  and  furnishing  the  building 
throughout  with  up-to-date  apparatus  and  decorations  with  grading  and 
tree  planting  and  other  outdoor  improvements  will  be  about  $13,000. 
We  are  proud  of  the  house  and  proud  of  the  bevy  of  rosy-cheeked  children 
that  are  being  educated  within  its  walls  and  think  nothing  is  too  good 
for  them." 

The  handsome  schoolhouse  described  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  May 
10,  1906,  and  was  rebuilt  on  its  former  lines,  being  completed  in  1908. 
C.  P.  Bauman  is  the  present  superintendent  and  reports  an  enrollment 
of  nearly  ninety,  over  fifty  in  the  high  'school.  There  are  four  teachers  in 
the  grades  and  three  in  the  high  school,  the  school  property  being  valued 
at  $18,000.  Throughout  the  township,  there  is  an  enrollment  of  350 
pupils. 

Mahomet  has  a  number  of  substantial  stores ;  two  banks,  the  Mahomet 
and  Home;  two  elevators,  the  Farmers  and  Wykle;  a  newspaper,  and 
several  churches  and  societies. 

,  THE  LOCAL  NEWSPAPER 

The  Mahomet  Sucker  State,  as  the  local  newspaper  is  called,  issued 
its  first  number  on  October  13,  1879,  a  few  issues  having  been  put  out 
as  the  "Magnet."  As  the  "Magnet"  did  not  seem  to  draw,  "Sucker 
State"  was  substituted.  For  the  past  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  the  paper 
has  been  owned  and  edited  by  Charles  D.  Warner,  C.  W.  Murphy,  C.  M. 
Pearson,  0.  D.  Stiles  and  C.  W.  Pugh.  During  the  bulk  of  that  period 
it  has  been  in  charge  of  Messrs.  Pearson  and  Pugh. 

MAHOMET  CHUECHES 

The  Mahomet  Baptist  Church  was  among  the  first  of  the  religious 
organizations  to  take  substantial  shape  in  the  Sangamon  region  of 
Champaign  County.  From  all  available  sources  of  information  it  would 
seem  that  John  G.  Robertson,  a  Kentucky  immigrant  to  the  Big  Grove 
and  a  zealous  missionary  of  the  country  round-about,  furnished  the 
initial  inspiration  in  the  formation  of  Baptist  societies  at  the  Brumley 
schoolhouse,  two  miles  east  of  Urbana,  and  at  Mount  Pleasant,  now 
Farmer  City,  DeWitt  County,  in  1839.  Rev.  J.  D.  Newell,  then  resid- 


494  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

ing  at  Waynesville,  that  county,  was  the  actual  organizer  of  both 
churches.  Bethel  church,  as  organized  at  Mount  Pleasant  by  Mr. 
Newell,  had  a  membership  extending  from  Salt  Creek  to  TJrbana,  a 
distance  of  thirty  miles.  Its  original  members  were  J.  G.  Eobertson 
and  wife,  Martha  A. ;  Fielding  L.  Scott  and  wife ;  Preston  Webb  and 
wife,  Ulila;  James  Webb  and  sisters;  Mrs.  Dr.  Adams  and  Sarah  Blunt. 
During  the  summer  the  church  moved  to  Mahomet  as  a  more  central 
field  of  labor,  and  held  its  meetings  at  the  houses  of  various  members. 
In  the  fall  the  society  united  with  the  McLean  Association  and  held  its 
meetings  at  the  Methodist  camp  ground,  Eandolph's  Grove.  Mr.  Eobert- 
son had  been  elected  deacon  of  the  church  and  settled  at  Mahomet. 

Elder  Newell  had  arranged  to  preach  to  the  Baptist  congregation 
at  Mahomet  once  a  month,  and  at  the  close  of  his  labors,  which  covered 
more  than  a  year,  Elder  William  McPherson  succeeded  him.  He  also 
preached  monthly  for  about  a  year,  after  which  there  was  a  short  interim, 
although  regular  meetings  were  maintained  by  the  church  members. 
In  1845  F.  L.  Scott  was  elected  deacon,  who,  with  Father  Eobertson, 
served  in  that  capacity  for  some  sixty  years.  Elder  Sylvester  Pasley 
commenced  his  ministery  of  a  year  in  1846,  and  was  followed  by  Elder 
Mason.  In  1851  Elder  Pasley  was  again  called  to  the  pastorate  and  a 
house  of  worship  was  completed  in  the  following  year.  Then  succes- 
sively came  Elder  Justus  Taylor,  Elder  McPherson  (a  second  term) ; 
Elder  W.  E.  Combs  (who  remained  from  June,  1855,  to  April,  1864), 
during  whose  pastorate  the  church  united  with  the  Bloomfield  Associa- 
tion ;  Elder  D.  S.  French ;  Eev.  S.  F.  Gleason,  who  served  the  church  for 
more  than  twenty-five  years;  Eev.  S.  G.  Anderson  and  Eev.  Thomas  F. 
Chilton.  The  Baptist  Church  bought  a  parsonage  in  1854,  two  years 
after  the  completion  of  its  first  house  of  worship,  which  stood  north  of 
the  present  public  school.  The  building  now  occupied  was  erected  in 
1867.  The  church  numbers  230  members. 

The  Methodists  of  Middletown  organized  a  class  at  an  early  date, 
and  from  1843  to  1855  belonged  to  the  Monticello  circuit.  In  the  latter 
year  the  Middletown  circuit  was  organized,  and  embraced  all  of  the 
Sangamon  settlements  within  the  county.  A  house  of  worship  was 
completed  in  1856.  Among  the  earliest  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Middletown  were  James  W.  Fisher,  B.  F.  Harris,  James  C. 
Kilgore,  Hezekiah  Phillippe,  and  F.  B.  Sale  with  their  families.  Mr. 
Sale  subsequently  became  a  local  preacher  of  Methodism,  and  was 
influential  in  the  establishment  of  other  circuits  and  stations  higher  up 
the  Sangamon.  Among  the  early  pastors  of  this  church  may  be  named 
Eev.  A.  S.  Goddard,  Eev.  J.  A.  Brittingham,  Eev.  L.  C.  Pitner,  Eev. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  495 

J.  C.  Kucker,  Bev.  A.  E.  Garner,  Eev.  C.  F.  Hecox  and  Eev.  Arthur 
Bradshaw.     Eev.  Grant  Johnson  is  the  present  pastor  in  charge. 

In  1858  the  Presbyterians  residing  along  the  Sangamoii  Timber, 
who  were  affiliated  with  the  West  Urbana  Church,  were  dismissed  from 
that  organization  to  form  a  church  at  Middletown.  This  was 
accomplished,  a  church  building  was  subsequently  erected  and  an 
organization  maintained,  with  more  or  less  permanence,  for  many  years. 
The  Presbyterians  of  Mahomet  are  at  present  without  a  pastor. 

SECRET  AND  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES 

The  Odd  Fellows,  Masons,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  Court 
of  Honor  all  have  societies  in  the  village.  The  I.  0.  0.  F.  is  repre- 
sented by  a  lodge  of  m'ore  than  100  members  organized  in  November, 
1892.  Its  first  elective  officers  were  James  Young,  N.  G. ;  George 
Warner,  V.  G. ;  William  Wiles,  E.  S. ;  Peter  Williamson,  treasurer. 
Present  officers :  J.  W.  Hicks,  N.  G. ;  F.  C.  Daniel,  V.  G. ;  M.  E.  Smith, 
E.  S. ;  J.  J.  Hayward,  treasurer. 

The  Eebekahs  were  organized  in  November,  1895,  and  are  of  equal 
strength.  Their  first  officers  were :  Mrs.  Sarah  Lott,  N.  G. ;  Miss  Flor- 
ence Pinkston,  V.  G. ;  Mrs.  Jennie  Johnston  Keene,  E.  S. ;  Mrs.  Vina 
Cummings  Cooper,  F.  S. ;  Mrs.  A.  V.  Purnell,  treasurer.  Present 
officers :  Mrs.  Nora  Eeed,  N.  G. ;  Mrs.  Lizzie  Buhl,  V.  G. ;  Mrs.  Fannie 
Wiles  Johnston,  B.  and  F.  S. ;  Miss  Lilah  Clapper,  treasurer. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
TOLONO  AND  SIDNEY  TOWNSHIPS 

VILLAGE  OF  TOLONO — PIONEER  BUSINESS  MEN — BANK  OF  TOLONO — 
THE  TOLONO  HERALD — LIGHT  AND  WATER — CHURCHES  AND  SECRET 
SOCIETIES — SIDNEY  TOWNSHIP — FIRST  LAND  ENTRIES  IN  COUNTY— 
Nox's  POINT — TOWN  OF  SIDNEY  LAID  OUT — THE  VILLAGE  IN  185-i 
—THE  VILLAGE  ix  1917 — BANKS — THE  SIDNEY  TIMES — CHURCHES 
AND  LODGES. 

Tolono,  one  of  the  southwestern  townships  of  the  county,  is  six  miles 
square,  or  covers  an  area  of  thirty-six  sections,  and  with  the  exception 
of  the  ridge  which  divides  the  waters  of  the  Okaw  from  those  of  the 
Ambraw  is  substantially  a  flat  prairie.  This  physical  fact  has  made 
necessary  drainage  operations  of  quite  an  extensive  nature,  especially  in 
the  western  portion  of  the  township.  These  improvements  have  greatly 
extended  the  area  of  fertility,  which  was  formerly  largely  confined  to 
the  valleys  of  the  streams. 

VILLAGE  OF  TOLONO 

The  village  of  Tolono,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  township  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Illinois  Central  and  Wabash  lines,  is  one  of  the 
best  trading  centers  and  shipping  points  in  the  county.  It  has  a  popu- 
lation of  about  nine  hundred  people,  but  was  virtually  non-existent  until 
the  railroads  came  in  1855-57.  Until  that  time  about  the  only  settlers 
were  a  few  families  along  the  main  branch  of  the  Okaw — John  P.  Ten- 
brook,  Isaac  J.  Miller,  John  Cook  and  John  Hamilton  and  their  house- 
holds. About  1855  Captain  J.  E.  Swift  was  appointed  agent  for  the 
sale  of  Illinois  Central  Eailroad  lands  in  the  neighborhood.  He  opened 
a  land  office  at  the  new  station,  built  a  comfortable  residence  and 
erected  an  office  building  and  while  he  remained  at  Tolono  ran  true  to 
his  name.  Captain  Swift  did  not  see  the  completion  of  the  Wabash  line, 
although  he  projected  a  southwestern  line  from  Tolono  to  St.  Louis 
himself.  He  organized  a  company,  became  president  of  it  and  managed 
to  have  a  track  graded  several  miles  toward  Shelbyville  across  the  Okaw. 
But  his  funds  gave  out,  and  the  clamoring  laborers  frightened  him  out 
of  the  country. 

496 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  497 

PIONEER  BUSINESS  MEN 

The  completion  of  the  Wabash  in  the  late  '50s  made  it  evident  that 
Tolono  would  be  a  desirable  place  for  business  and  residence.  In  1857 
T.  Purrington,  who  had  long  been  in  government  service  at  Washing- 
ton, opened  a  land  office  at  Tolono.  At  an  early  period  also  came  such 
professional  men  as  D.  H.  Chaffee  and  the  lawyers  A.  M.  Christian  and 
Neil  McDonald.  Quite  a  large  hotel,  the  Marion  House,  was  also  erected 
at  the  crossing  of  the  two  railroads.  William  Eedhed,  an  English 
merchant  who  had  been  engaged  in  business  at  Chicago  for  several  years, 
located  at  Tolono  in  April,  1857,  as  the  town's  first  grocer.  There  he 


BUSY  SECTION  OF  TOLONO 

continued  in  active  business  for  more  than  thirty  years.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  Alonzo  Lyons,  who  had  been  an  Urbana  merchant,  opened  a 
general  store  at  the  railroad  crossing,  and  continued  in  business  at 
Tolono  until  his  death  in  August,  1878.  He  was  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising and  honored  citizens  in  the  county.  Henry  C.  Smith  was  another 
of  the  founders  of  the  town,  locating  in  1857  as  a  carpenter  and  con- 
tractor, later  engaging  in  the  lumber  and  coal  business  and,  when  his 
sons  matured,  branching  out  with  them  into  other  lines  of  business. 

BANK  OF  TOLONO 

In  1865  Robert  A.  Bower  came  to  Tolono  from  Ohio  and  established 
himself   as   an   attorney-at-law,   but   in    1869    established   the   Bank   of 

1—32 


498  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

Tolono,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  the  president.  William  Redhed 
was  also  identified  with  the  management  of  the  bank  in  its  earlier  years. 
Its  first  cashier  was  T.  M.  Salisbury,  and  his  successors  have  been 
William  T.  Bower,  II.  S.  Bower,  Alexander  Campbell,  E.  B.  Rogers,  S. 
M.  Bower  and  R.  A.  Bower,  Jr.  The  assistant  cashier  is  W.  S.  Redhed, 
of  the  well  known  pioneer  family.  The  average  deposits  of  the  Bank  of 
Tolono  are  now  $100,000;  paid-in  capital,  $25,000. 

The  Citizens'  Bank  was  established  by  Lawrence  Sandwell  in  1904, 
with  J.  A.  Corbett  as  vice-president  and  A.  B.  Campbell  as  cashier.  In 
1915  Isaac  Raymond  became  president,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Corbett,  Eli  Trost  assuming  the  vice  presidency.  Mr.  Campbell  con- 
tinues as  cashier. 


TOLOXO  HIGH  SCHOOL 

A.  B.  Campbell  has  also  published  and  edited  the  Tolono  Herald 
since  1891.  He  bought  the  newspaper  of  E.  B.  Chapin,  whose  father, 
E.  J.  Chapin,  a  business  man  of  Tolono,  had  founded  it  in  April,  1875. 
Its  editorial  control  was  conferred  upon  the  son,  who,  in  the  year 
mentioned,  sold  the  plant  to  Mr.  Campbell  and  moved  to  Champaign  to 
enter  upon  the  publication  of  the  News,  of  that  city. 

The  importance  of  Tolono  as  a  grain  center  and  shipping  point  is 
emphasized  by  its  three  elevators  owned  and  operated  by  J.  A.  Creamer, 
Horton  Brothers  &  Company  and  William  Murray.  The  Creamer 
elevator  was  built  in  1898  by  Carrington  &  Hannah.  An  abundant 
supply  of  pure  water  has  been  guaranteed  its  people  since  1895,  when 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  499 

its  water  works  were  put  in  operation,  and  its  buildings  and  streets  are 
lighted  by  electricity,  supplied  by  the  Central  Illinois  Public  Service 
Company.  Its  school  facilities  are  excellent,  as  indicated  by  the  report 
of  the  county  superintendent,  and  four  churches  meet  all  the  require- 
ments of  the  religious  elements.  These  organizations  are  the  M.  E. 
Church,  Eev.  Lewis  Campbell,  pastor;  Presbyterian,  Eev.  W.  W.  Wilson; 
the  Baptist,  Bev.  F.  A.  Morrow  (Sadorus)  and  St.  Joseph  Catholic, 
Eev.  Joseph  Flannigan.  A  number  of  secret  and  benevolent  bodies  are 
also  active,  the  ladies  especially  having  become  quite  prominent  in  that 
regard.  In  this  list  are  the  Eoyal  Neighbors  of  America  and  the  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star.  The  former,  although  organized  as  late  as  Decem- 
ber, 1900,  number  130.  The  first  Eastern  Star  Chapter  at  Tolono  (No. 
Ill)  was  organized  in  1872,  but  surrendered  its  charter  in  1883,  and 
the  present  organization  was  effected  in  1889.  It  is  known  as  Tolono 
Chapter  No.  45  and  has  a  membership  of  about  forty-five. 

In  a  word,  there  is  no  excuse  for  either  men  or  women  to  get  lone- 
some or  stagnate  in  the  little  village  of  Tolono. 

SIDNEY  TOWNSHIP 

The  township  of  Sidney  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  is 
mainly  watered  and  drained  by  the  Salt  Fork,  which,  in  the  early  days, 
was  quite  heavily  timbered  on  both  sides.  It  also  contains  the  beautiful 
Linn  Grove,  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  four  miles  from  the  present 
village  of  Sidney.  The  Salt  Creek  Timber  and  Linn  Grove  received 
some  of  the  first  pioneers  of  the  county  who  immigrated  from  Vermilion 
County,  Indiana.  The  land  office  in  which  the  earliest  entries  of  lands 
in  Sidney  Township  were  made  was  at  Palestine,  Crawford  County,  and 
those  who  made  them  were  often  called  "Salt  Forkers." 

FIRST  LAND  ENTRIES  IN  COUNTY 

The  first  entry  of  lands  not  only  in  the  township,  but  in  the  entire 
county,  was  recorded  by  Jesse  Williams  on  February  7,  1827,  and  was 
located  on  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  12,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Salt  Fork.  It  is  not  known  whether  he  actually  occu- 
pied his  claim,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  Thomas  L.  Butler  became  its  owner 
and  made  it  his  homestead  for  many  years.  In  1833  Mr.  Butler  also 
entered  lands  in  the  same  section. 

In  October,  1827,  John  Hendricks  made  the  second  entry,  covering 
the  other  half  of  the  quarter  in  Section  12  which  had  been  claimed  by 


500 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


Williams.  In  November  of  the  same  year  Josiah  Conger  entered  a 
tract  as  the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  5,  and  others  in  the  Salt  Fork 
Timber  followed  in  1828.  Not  long  afterward  William  Nox,  Sr.,  Adam 
Thomas  and  others  took  up  claims  and  settled  south  of  Salt  Fork,  near 
the  present  village  of  Sidney. 

Nox's  POINT 

Before  there  was  a  village  the  locality  was  generally  known  as  Nox's 
Point,  and  sometimes  as  Williams'  Point,  the  names  being  derived,  of 
course,  from  Jesse  Williams  and  William  Nox. 

TOWN  OF  SIDNEY  LAID  OUT 

As  has  been  stated,  Dr.  James  H.  Lyon  came  to  the  locality  of  Nox's 
Point  about  1835,  invested  in  lands  there  and  on  November  9,  1836, 


THE  TOWN  HALL,  SIDNKY 

placed  upon  record  the  plat  of  the  town  of  Sidney.  The  place  was  named 
for  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Davis,  who  was  associated  with  Dr.  Lyon 
in  the  founding  of  the  town  which  had  been  designated  as  a  station  on 
the  Northern  Cross  Eailroad.  The  plat  of  Sidney  shows  twenty-eight 
blocks  of  twelve  lots  each,  with  a  public  square,  wide  streets  and  con- 
venient alleys.  But  the  Northern  Cross  project  failed  to  materialize  as 
far  east  as  Champaign  County,  and  Sidney  had  to  wait  for  its  growing 
days.  Until  the  Wabash  line  appeared  twenty  years  afterward  not  to 
exceed  a  dozen  buildings  were  expected  on  that  impressive  plat.  It  is 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  501 

said  that  Lyon  &  Davis  introduced  the  first  fine  live  stock  into  the  town- 
ship and,  being  natives  of  Kentucky  and  typical  southern  gentlemen, 
also  laid  out  a  race  track. 

THE  VILLAGE  IN  1854 

The  summer  and  fall  of  1854  witnessed  a  revival  of  confidence  in  the 
fair  future  of  Sidney,  as  it  was  then  fairly  certain  that  the  Toledo, 
Wabash  &  Western  Eailroad  (Great  Western)  would  make  Sidney  one 
of  its  stations.  In  June  a  tri-weekly  mail  was  established  between 
Urbana  and  Vincennes,  the  stage  passing  through  Sidney,  Bloomfield 
and  Paris,  and  in  July  a  postoffice  was  opened  in  town,  with  J.  S. 
Cunningham  as  postmaster. 

In  September,  1854,  this  picture  of  Sidney  was  drawn  by  the  editor 
of  the  Urbana  Union :  "One  day  last  week  we  managed  to  escape  the 
thralldom  of  office  duties  and  struck  out  across  the  prairie,  in  a  south- 
easterly direction.  Two  hours'  ride  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Sidney. 
This  place  was  laid  out  about  1836  by  Joseph  Thomas,  during  the  opera- 
tions on  the  Northern  Cross  Eailroad,  with  a  fine  prospect  for  future 
success.  But,  at  the  abandonment  of  the  system  of  internal  improve- 
ments adopted  by  the  State,  its  prospects  lapsed.  The  prospect  now  of 
its  being  a  point  on  the  Great  Western  Railroad  causes  the  people  to 
feel  encouraged.  Three  lines  have  been  run  near  the  village — two 
within  one  hundred  yards  and  one  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  It 
will  make  no  difference  which  of  the  lines  is  selected,  either  will  be 
sufficiently  near.  Messrs.  Thomas  &  Jones  have  laid  off  a  new  plat  to 
supersede  the  old  one,  and  lots  are  now  in  the  market. 

"Sidney  possesses  many  favorable  qualities  as  a  location.  Its  site  is 
no  doubt  the  best  in  the  county,  being  high  and  rolling.  It  is  situated 
in  the  edge  of  the  southern  extremity  of  the  timber,  on  the  Salt  Fork 
of  the  Vermilion  River,  and  surrounded  by  prairie  that  is  unsurpassed 
by  any  in  the  county.  About  four  miles  to  the  southwest,  at  an -eleva- 
tion of  ninety  feet  above  the  creek,  is  the  Linn  Grove,  which  is  regarded 
by  all  who  have  seen  it  as  the  most  beautiful  location  in  Illinois.  It 
is  now  the  property  of  Enoch  Johnson,  and  is  frequently  made  the 
place  of  resort  of  the  pleasure  seekers  from  this  place,  although  twelve- 
miles  distant. 

''There  are  now  two  dry-goods  stores  in  Sidney,  one  owned  by  J.  S. 
Cunningham  and  the  other  by  Messrs.  Upp  &  Casey,  both  doing  good 
business. 

"Leaving  Sidney  in  the  afternoon  we  went  north  along  the  edge  of 


502 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


the  timber  for  about  three  miles,  when  we  struck  out  on  the  prairie  to 
the  westward,  and  were  soon  coming  over  its  trackless  sod. 

"Before  leaving  the  settlements  we  passed  manv  fine  farms,  among 
which  we  took  particular  notice  of  that  of  Lewis  Jones,  Esq.,  which  lies 
wholly  on  the  prairie  and  embraces  many  acres  of  unsurpassed  fertility. 
The  corn  is  above  the  medium  crop  and  will  surprise  its  owners,  we 
think." 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  1917 

The  present  village  of  Sidney  contains  over  500  people  and  is  situated 
in  a  productive  grain  country  at  the  juncture  of  two  lines  of  the  Wabash 
road,  with  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  only  a  mile  to  the  east.  The 


SIDNEY'S  MAIN  STREET 

Sidney  Grain  Company  owns  three  elevators,  which  handle  a  large 
bulk  of  corn,  and  two  banks  furnish  the  financial  medium  by  which 
their  operations,  as  well  as  the  transactions  of  the  merchants  and  house- 
holders, are  carried  on  from  day  to  day. 

BANKS 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1885,  Miller  Winston  founded  a  bank  with 
a  capital  of  $12,000.  The  founder  is  still  at  the  head  of  it.  There 
has  been  no  change  in  capital,  although  the  average  deposits  now  amount 
to  $200,000;  individual  responsibility,  $350,000;  individual  profits, 
$5,300. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  503 

The  State  Bank  of  Sidney  was  founded  in  April,  1911,  with  the 
following  officers,  who  still  serve:  president,  George  Cole;  vice-president, 
Luther  Fisher;  cashier,  J.  F.  Eankin.  The  capital  stock  of  the  bank 
is  $25,000;  surplus  and  undivided  profits,  $2,000;  average  deposits, 
$100,000. 

Sidney  offers  such  inducements  as  a  desirable  place  of  residence  as 
a  good  school,  a  newspaper,  churches  and  societies.  There  are  168 
pupils  enrolled  in  the  Union  school,  which  is  under  the  superintendency 
of  George  H.  Primer;  the  building,  which  was  erected  in  1900,  cost 
$12,000. 

The  Town  Hall  at  Sidney  was  completed  in  1907. 

THE  SIDNEY  TIMES 

The  Sidney  Times  was  founded  in  1885,  under  the  name  of  the 
Sidney  Derrick,  by  J.  C.  Carpenter.  Two  years  afterward  he  sold  it  to 
T.  D.  Jerauld.  After  about  a  year  it  came  into  possession  of  Mont 
Robinson  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Ida  Davison,  who  changed  the  name 
to  the  Sidney  By-Way.  Later,  another  daughter,  Miss  Eva  Robinson, 
became  its  sole  proprietor  and  editor,  and  as  she  was  a  practical  printer, 
with  her  other  qualifications,  conducted  the  paper  successfully  for  several 
years.  It  was  then  sold  to  George  Clinkenbeard,  his  successors,  previous 
to  the  adoption  of  the  present  name,  being  John  A.  Noble  and  F.  D. 
Denton.  About  January  1,  1905,  Mr.  Denton  changed  the  paper  to  the 
Sidney  Times,  the  present  proprietor,  Fred  H.  Wood,  assuming  charge 
of  it  in  1913. 

CHURCHES  AND  LODGES 

There  are  four  churches  at  Sidney:  the  Methodist,  Presbyterian, 
Christian  and  Nazarene.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  in  1857,  and,  although  the  first  house  of  worship  was  com- 
menced -in  the  following  year,  it  was  not  completed  until  1864.  Its 
pastors  have  been  Revs.  George  Fairbanks,  Peter  Wallace,  John  Long, 
William  McVey,  Isaac  Grover,  Benjamin  Newman,  J.  C.  Rucker,  H.  H. 
Keith,  C.  Y.  Hickox,  W.  C.  Avey,  B.  F.  Hyde,  J.  C.  Rucker  (second 
term),  George  Alexander,  Abner  Clark,  J.  Frank  Poorman,  H.  G.  Wass, 
D.  G.  Murray,  J.  A.  Lucas,  J.  W.  Eckman,  J.  Seymour,  Otho  Bartholow, 
M.  G.  Coleman,  Joseph  Long,  W.  E.  Means,  W.  P.  Bownan,  E.  E.  Bean, 
Gilmore  Cunningham,  E.  L.  Fletcher,  W.  A.  Poe,  William  L.  Cunning- 
ham, R.  E.  Mathias,  0.  B.  Hess,  J.  M.  Judy  and  Alfred  Wicks.  The 
church  now  has  a  membership  of  200.  The  house  of  worship  of  the 
present  was  erected  in  1899. 


504  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

The  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  March  4,  1884,  as  Vaile 
Chapel,  and  an  exclusive  house  of  worship  was  completed  in  July,  1886. 
Under  the  name  of  First  Presbyterian  Church  the  meeting  house  of  the 
present  was  erected  in  1899.  The  successive  pastors  have  been  Eevs. 
E.  V.  Hunter,  W.  P.  Jaques,  B.  B.  Brier,  W.  N.  Steele,  J.  E.  William- 
son, W.  R.  More,  E.  P.  Gilchrist,  Henry  Love,  Guy  E.  Smock,  James  E. 
Foster,  E.  M.  Snook  and  George  A.  Hartman.  The  church  has  a  present 
membership  of  about  100. 

The  Xazarene  church  was  organized  in  April,  1915,  has  a  member- 
ship of  about  forty,  and  has  been  served  by  Revs.  B.  B.  Sapp,  R.  J. 
Kunze  and  (Miss)  C.  M.  Ryan. 

The  Masons,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Odd  Fellows  have  lodges  at 
Sidney.  Sidney  Lodge,  No.  347,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  chartered  April 
10,  1860,  and  the  first  meeting  under  dispensation  held  on  the  following 
3d  of  May.  The  Worshipful  Masters  have  been  W.  A.  Smith,  G.  W. 
Hartman  (four  terms),  William  Freeman  (four  terms),  W.  A.  Robin- 
son, S.  G.  Boyd,  W.  H.  Robinson,  Frank  Thompson,  William  Hays,  W. 
M.  Hanson  (two  terms),  G.  E.  Raymond,  C.  L.  Golden,  J.  H.  Smith 
and  J.  F.  Rankin.  The  lodge  has  a  membership  of  about  sixty.  Besides 
J.  F.  Rankin,  W.  M.,  are  the  following  elective  officers:  J.  W.  Cole, 
S.  W. ;  V.  I.  Johnston,  J.  W. ;  G.  C.  Allen,  secretary,  and  Luther  Fisher, 
treasurer. 

Model  Lodge  No.  360,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized  May  16, 
1892,  with  the  following  officers :  Miller  Winston,  C.  C. ;  W.  F.  Temple, 
V.  C.;  G.  D.  Boone,  P.;  C.  W.  Witt,  M.  at  A.;  Sam  Sholts,  M.  of  W.; 
H.  L.  Rud,  M.  at  A.;  M.  Hess,  I.  G.;  D.  D.  Rudicil,  0.  G.  These 
gentlemen  served  as  the  early  heads  of  the  lodge,  which  has  increased  in 
membership  from  22  to  78.  Present  officers:  W.  G.  Francis,  C.  C.; 
G.  C.  Griffin,  V.  C. ;  W.  D.  Wood,  P. ;  E.  J.  Lehman,  M.  at  A. ;  William 
Swinney,  M.  of  W.;  J.  W.  Mumm,  I.  G.;  H.  B.  Swarts,  0.  G.;  F.  H. 
Swarts,  K.  of  R.  &  S. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
AYERS  AND  RAYMOND  TOWNSHIPS 

FIRST  PREEMPTION  IN  AYERS  TOWNSHIP — THE  GKEAT  SULLIVANT 
ESTATE — THE  HEADQUARTERS,  BROADLANDS — BROADLANDS  OF  THE 
PRESENT — LONG  VIEW — SETTLEMENT  OF  RAYMOND  TOWNSHIP — 
WILLIAM  M.  SHAWHAN. 

In  the  southeastern  corner  of  Champaign  County  is  the  small  town- 
ship of  Ayers,  comprising  less  than  twenty-four  square  miles,  six  sec- 
tions from  north  to  south  and  three  and  three-quarters  from  east  to  west. 
It  is  mostly  watered  by  the  Ambraw  and  the  Little  Vermilion  rivers,  and 
contains  some  of  the  choicest  farm  lands  in  the  county.  They  were  not 
taken  up  as  early  as  those  in  other  parts,  such  as  the  sections  along  Salt 
Fork  to  the  north,  which  were  more  heavily  timbered. 

Broadlands,  the  only  village  in  the  township,  contains  some  five 
hundred  people,  and  rightly  suggests  some  agricultural  enterprise,  or 
land  holdings,  of  unusual  magnitude.  In  the  early  '50s,  in  fact,  its 
site  was  the  headquarters  of  the  largest  landed  estate  in  the  county,  and 
one  of  the  most  noted  in  the  state. 

FIRST  PREEMPTION  IN  AYERS  TOWNSHIP 

The  first  preemption  was  made  by  a  man  named  West,  who  built  a 
shanty  near  the  north  line  of  the  township,  in  what  was  known  as  Lost 
Grove,  as  early  as  1850.  Three  years  afterward  he  sold  his  right  and 
small  improvements  to  John  F.  Thompson,  who  brought  his  family  there 
in  1855,  and  developed  his  holding  into  a  substantial  homestead  which 
he  occupied  until  his  death. 

THE  GREAT  SULLIVANT  ESTATE 

In  the  meantime  Michael  L.  Sullivant,  a  leading  and  wealthy  citizen 
of  Columbus,  Ohio,  had  been  consolidating  his  holdings  on  the  Ambraw, 
both  in  what  is  now  Ayers  Township  and  adjoining  territory.  He  had 
commenced  to  buy  direct  from  the  government  in  1852,  and  when  the 
railroad  lands  of  the  Illinois  Central  came  into  the  market  he  purchased 

505 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  507 

many  of  its  alternate  sections  until  he  became  the  owner  of  27,000  acres. 
At  one  time  he  was  the  owner  of  nearly  every  desirable  tract  in  the 
township  of  Ayers.  Having  gathered  his  land  Mr.  Sullivant  com- 
menced to  improve  it  on  a  grand  scale.  In  February,  1855,  the  Ohio 
Statesman,  of  Columbus,  thus  noted  the  departure  of  his  first  expedi- 
tion :  "The  outfit  was  an  admirable  one.  The  wagons  were  constructed 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  answer  the  purpose  of  tents,  and  will  be  used  as 
such  until  suitable  buildings  can  be  erected  by  the  mechanics  of  the 
company  for  their  accommodation.  The  Messrs.  Sullivant  have 
purchased  vast  tracts  of  land  in  Central  and  Northern  Illinois,  and 
are  preparing  for  cultivation  several  thousand  acres  of  land  during 
the  present  season.  The  party  that  left  today  intend  to  prepare  the 
land  for  ploughing,  hedging  and  planting,  and  to  erect  the  necessary 
buildings  for  the  tenants.  They  take  along  several  bushels  of  locust 
seed,  walnuts,  hickory  nuts,  chestnuts,  red  cedar  berries,  and  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  Osage  Orange  seed  for  the  purpose  of  hedging. 
Another  party  will  leave  here  in  about  a  month,  destined  to  the  same 
place,  and  still  another,  about  the  same  time,  will  open  another  farm 
of  several  thousand  acres  in  Northern  Illinois  for  Mr.  Sullivant." 

THE  HEADQUARTERS.,  BROADLANDS 

At  a  high  and  central  point  of  his  principal  holdings  Mr.  Sullivant 
erected  a  boarding  house,  with  numerous  barns  and  outbuildings,  which 
he  called  Headquarters.  Near  by  he  erected  a  large  residence,  and 
commenced  to  improve  his  lands  methodically  and  scientifically  (as  he 
thought).  At  one  time  he  also  rented  large  tracts  of  his  land  in  Ayers 
Township  to  Alexander,  the  Western  cattle  king,  who  afterward  became 
so  prominent  in  live  stock  transactions  in  Chicago.  Mr.  Sullivant  called 
the  headquarters  of  his  great  estate  Broadlands,  but  his  attempt  to  farm 
upon  such  a  stupendous  scale  was  ahead  of  the  times  and  resulted  in 
financial  failure.  His  holdings  passed  to  other  hands,  were  divided, 
and  sub-divided,  and  the  community,  as  a  whole,  greatly  benefitted  there- 
by. But  the  memory  of  the  grand  enterprise  remains  in  the  name  of 
the  village  and  the  station  on  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad. 

BROADLANDS  OF  THE  PRESENT 

Broadlands  is  a  leading  center  for  the  handling  and  shipping  of  grain, 
its  three  elevators  being  owned  by  Paul  Kuhn  &  Company,  of  Terre 
Haute  and  the  Broadlands  Grain  and  Coal  Company  and  Henry  Allen, 


508  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

local  proprietors.    The  last  named  was  built  in  1904  and  has  a  capacity 
of  35,000  bushels. 

The  Bank  of  Broadlands  was  established  in  November,  1892,  with 
A.  M.  Kenney  as  president  and  D.  P.  Mclntyre  as  cashier.  Mr.  Kenney 
retained  that  office  until  1908,  when  Mr.  Mclntyre  succeeded  him,  Will 

A.  Coolley  assuming  the  cashiership.     Since  January,  1917,  Mr.  Coolley 
has  been  president  of  the  bank,  which  has  a  capital  of  $25,000   and 
average  deposits  of  $100,000. 

There  are  four  churches  at  Broadlands:  The  Methodist,  Eev.  J.  R. 
Warlick,  St.  John's  German  Lutheran,  Rev.  D.  Blasberg,  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran,  Rev.  R.  Krenzien  and  the  United  Brethren,  Rev.  C.  T.  Short- 
ridge. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Immanuel  Church  was  organized  in  1875, 
its  first  house  of  worship  having  been  erected  in  the  following  year. 
The  present  church  building  was  completed  in  1895.  There  are  about 
fifty  voting  members  and  some  130  communicants.  The  schoolhouse 
the  lecture  hall  were  remodeled  in  1913.  The  successive  pastors  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Immanuel  Church  have  been  Revs.  E.  Martens, 
C.  Baumann,  C.  H.  Mueller,  J.  B.  Graupner,  C.  P.  J.  Johanning,  II. 
Hafner,  C.  Boevers  and  R.  Krenzien. 

The  United  Brethren  Church  of  Broadlands  was  organized  by  Rev. 
J.  H.  Penney,  its  first  pastor,  in  the  fall  of  1893.  The  list  of  successive 
pastors  is  as  follows:  Revs.  J.  H.  Penney,  McBride,  A.  J.  Nugent,  B. 

B.  Phelps,  Duger,  Rosenbarger,  Jinkins,  0.  McHargue,  Dunseth,  Sher- 
ril,  White,  Watson,  Hall,  McBride  (second  term),  L.  H.  Coolley,  G.  W. 
Padrick,  G.  W.  Ball  and  C.  Tuttle  Shortridge.    The  church  has  a  pres- 
ent membership  of  about  ninety. 

Besides  these  religious  organizations,  three  secret  and  benevolent 
lodges  are  established  at  Broadlands,  representatives  of  the  Masons,  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Broadlands  is  an  incorporated  village,  and  is  a  pleasant  little  place 
with  unusually  good  pavements  and  well  lighted  streets,  through  the 
accommodations  of  the  Central  Illinois  Public  Service  Company. 

LONG  VIEW 

Long  View  is  a  station  and  little  settlement  on  the  Chicago  &  Eas- 
tern Illinois  Railroad  about  five  miles  southwest  of  Broadlands,  in  the 
southern  part  of  Raymond  township.  It  is  a  brisk  grain  center,  with 
two  elevators;  has  a  good  bank,  a  high  school  and  two  churches.  A 
number  of  stores  add  to  its  standing. 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  509 

The  Long  View  Bank  was  established  in  1899  by  Michael  II.  Keefe, 
Arthur  C.  Amsler,  Clyde  C.  Amsler,  Emil  L.  Wiese  and  Samuel  A. 
Howard,  with  a  capital  of  $5,000  which  was  increased  to  $10,000.  Later 
Mr.  Howard  sold  his  interest,  the  capital  was  decreased  to  $8,000,  and 
all  the  bank  interests  were  centered  in  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Wiese  and 
A.  G.  Anderson,  of  Broadlands.  In  1912  Mr.  Keefe  and  E.  Clarence 
Churchill  bought  a  one-half  interest  in  the  bank.  The  present  officers 
are:  Emil  L.  Wiese,  president;  E.  C.  Churchill,  vice-president;  A.  G. 
Anderson,  second  vice-president;  M.  H.  Keefe,  cashier.  The  capital 
stock  is  $10,000,  and  the  firm  owns  and  occupies  a  substantial  brick 
building.  Its  responsibility  is  $250,000.  The  bank  owns  some  1,300 
acres  of  good  land  and  stock  in  the  Ogden  Avenue  State  Bank  of  Chicago. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  KAYMOND  TOWNSHIP 

Raymond  township  itself  was  not  settled  at  an  early  date,  as  it  con- 
sists almost  entirely  of  prairie  lands  lying  within  the  valley  of  the 
Ambraw  River.  Much  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  in  the  '50s  was 
embraced  in  the  great  Sullivant  estate,  the  headquarters  of  which  were 
at  Broadlands.  Permanent  settlers  were  not  numerous  until  many 
years  afterward,  when  the  land  holdings  became  small  and  the  Chicago 
&  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad  was  built  across  the  southeastern  corner  of 
the  township  in  the  '70s.  That  period  also  marked  the  establishment 
of  Long  View  as  a  station  and  a  village. 

WILLIAM  M.  SHAWHAN 

The  first  permanent  settler,  William  M.  Shawhan,  did  not  arrive 
from  Indiana  until  1855,  and  he  bought  the  improvements  of  a  squat- 
ter near  Linn  Grove  and  the  Ambraw  Timber.  Mr.  Shawhan  had 
already  acquired  a  comfortable  competency  and  was  also  deeply  in- 
terested in  church  and  school  work  before  he  came  to  Raymond  Town- 
ship. Although  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  cattle  trade  for  some  years, 
when  he  settled,  with  his  large  family,  on  Section  19,  he  did  not  enter 
actively  into  such  pursuits,  but  rather  devoted  his  energies  to  the  work 
of  the  Disciples  Church.  He  preached  in  the  cabins  of  the  settlers  and 
was  a  true  missionary  of  the  Gospel.  His  influence  was  far-reaching 
and  of  the  best,  and  his  descendants  have  profited  by  it  to  the  present. 


CHAPTER  XX 
SADOEUS  AND  PESOTUM  TOWNSHIPS 

"STAYERS"  OF  SADOEUS  TOWNSHIP— SADORUS  VILLAGE — IVESDALE — PE- 
SOTUM TOWNSHIP — PESOTUM  VILLAGE. 

Sadorus  Township,  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  county, 
contains  two  villages,  the  one  which  gave  the  township  its  name  being 
the  nucleus  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  ancient  history  of  the  region. 
Sadorus  Grove,  embraced  by  the  upper  branches  of  the  Kaskaskia,  was 
the  estate  of  Henry  Sadorus  and  his  family  in  1824,  as  has  been  already 
fully  described.  After  fifty-four  years  of  residence  and  useful  work  the 
patriarch  passed  away,  looking  with  pride,  like  those  of  the  biblical  days, 
upon  many  descendants  of  several  generations  to  continue  the  family 
line. 

"STATERS"  OF  SADORUS  TOWNSHIP 

Henry  Ewing  and  family,  also  Hoosiers,  built  a  cabin  in  the  grove 
just  north  of  the  present  village  of  Sadorus,  two  years  after  Mr.  Sa- 
dorus settled  therein.  The  Ewings,  William  Marquis  and  Aikens 
Wright,  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood  during  the  next  few  years, 
were  floaters,  but  \Villiam  Eock,  Walter  Beavers,  the  Millers  and  others 
were  stayers,  and  left  families.  Ezra  Fay  settled  in  Section  35,  south- 
eastern part  of  the  township,  in  1835,  and  was  one  of  the  first  ministers 
of  the  sect  known  as  Christians  (New  Light). 

At  a  somewhat  later  date  John  Cook,  Zephania  Yeates,  the  Hixon 
brothers  and  others  settled  in  the  Grove  region,  and  in  the  '50s,  the  Rice 
and  Craw  families,  William  Harrison,  William  Ellers,  F.  Laughlin  and 
others. 

SADORUS  VILLAGE 

Sadorus  village  commenced  to  take  shape  with  the  establishment  of 
the  railroad  station  on  the  line  of  the  Great  Western  in  1858.  Its  three 
grain  elevators,  which  forcibly  speak  of  the  cereal  productiveness  of  the 
surrounding  country,  are  operated  under  the  ownership  of  E.  E.  Cham- 
bers &  Foote.  DeLong  Brothers  &  Company  and  Baldwin  &  Company. 

510 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


511 


The  Bank  of  Saclorus  and  the  Farmers  First  State  Bank  are  also  in- 
stitutions which  make  the  village  a  reliable  financial  center  for  the 
village  and  adjacent  farming  communities.  In  the  matter  of  schools, 
social  and  religious  organizations,  and  other  advantages  of  a  higher 
nature,  Sadorus  is  fully  equal  to  other  villages  of  its  population. 

IVESDALE 

Ivesdale,  a  village  of  about  five  hundred  people,  is  on  the  north- 
western border-line  of  the  township,  on  the  Wabash  Railroad.  It  was 
incorporated  as  such  June  12,  1871.  Although  it  has  a  twelve-hour 


FIRST  HENRY  SADORUS  HOJIE    (1824) 

service  of  electric  light  from  the  Bement  Light  and  Power  Company, 
it  has  no  water  works.  Its  supply  of  water,  however,  is  good  and 
abundant  from  private  sources.  Ivesdale  has  a  modern  brick  village 
hall,  where  the  corporate  business  is  transacted  and  which  is  open  to 
lectures  and  meetings  called  for  public  improvements. 

Two  institutions,  mention  of  which  should  in  no  wise  be  omitted,  are 
the  First  National  Bank  and  the  Ivesdale  News.  Both  are  a  part  of  its 
substantial  life. 

The  Ivesdale  News  was  established  in  September,  1897,  by  John  H. 
Ryan,  and  continued  under  his  management  until  January,  1909,  when 


512  HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGX    COUNTY 

it  was  purchased  by  Theodore  A.  Thoma.  It  continued  under  his  man- 
agement until  December,  1912,  when  it  was  disposed  of  at  a  sheriff's  sale 
to  C.  S.  Coe.  It  was  leased  by  Miss  Elsie  B.  Sutton  in  January,  1913, 
and  continues  under  her  management. 

The  places  of  worship  in  the  village  comprise  three  churches,  as 
follows :  Methodist  Episcopal,  Rev.  H.  L.  Thrall,  pastor,  Sadorus ;  St. 
Joseph's  Catholic  Church,  Rev.  C.  C.  O'Brien;  German  Lutheran,  with 
no  regular  pastor.  The  following  lodges  have  halls  at  Ivesdale:  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  Court  of  Honor,  Knights  of  Columbus,  An- 
cient Order  of  Hibernians  and  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters.  The  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians  in  Ivesdale  was  organized  in  September,  1887,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  lodge  in  December,  1895,  and  the  Court  of  Honor 
in  April,  1897. 

PESOTUM  TOWNSHIP 

Pesotum  Township  embraces  only  thirty-five  sections  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  what  would  have  been  Section  6  being  occupied  by 
the  village  of  Sadorus  and  the  balance  of  that  section  which  is  attached 
to  the  town  of  Sadorus.  Pesotum  is  the  name  of  a  treacherous  and 
bloodthirsty  Pottawattamie  chief,  who  participated  in  the  Fort  Dear- 
born massacre  of  1812,  and  it  is  somewhat  a  matter  of  conjecture  why 
it  should  have  been  applied  to  the  Illinois  Central  station  of  1854,  and 
thus  descended  to  the  township.  The  watershed  between  the  Okaw  and 
Ambraw  rivers  runs  nearly  parallel  with  that  railroad  through  the 
township.  The  surface  of  the  country  is  nearly  level,  and  much  of  the 
town,  especially  that  lying  in  the  valley  of  the  Okaw  to  the  west,  has 
been  artificially  drained.  The  largest  and  most  important  ditch  in  that 
region  is  the  Two  Mile  Slough.  That  locality  was  the  scene  of  the  first 
settlement — that  is,  the  timber  belt  of  the  main  branch  of  the  Okaw— 
the  German  element  having  been,  from  the  first,  especially  strong  there. 
Among ^the  early  settlers  may  be  mentioned,  Squire  Lee,  Henry  and 
William  JTelson,  Paul  Holliday,  S.  L.  Baldwin,  John  Meikle,  Josiah 
Merritt,  Charles  Johnson,  C.  L.  Batterman,  S.  D.  Kelley  and  Benjamin 
F.  Boggs. 

PESOTUM  VILLAGE 

With  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  Central  through  the  town 
from  north  to  south,  and  the  establishment  of  the  station  of  Pesotum, 
the  tide  of  settlement  commenced  to  shift  toward  the  east  and  the 
Ambraw  valley.  Within  a  few  years  after  the  Civil  War  every  tract 
within  the  town  had  been  taken  up  and  most  of  them  put  in  a  state 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  513 

of  cultivation.  Year  by  year  the  village  has  steadily  been  affected  by 
this  general  development,  and  has  become  the  center  of  quite  an  ex- 
tensive trade.  It  has  the  proper  facilities  for  handling  grain,  two  banks 
(the  Bank  of  Pesotum  and  the  Farmers  Bank),  a  modern  school, 
churches  and  societies,  and  a  newspaper — the  Chief,  founded  in  1914, 
and  published  and  edited  by  A.  F.  Alblinger  &  Company. 


1—33 


CHAPTER  XXI 
PHILO  AND  OGDEN  TOWNSHIPS  AND  VILLAGES 

YANKEE  RIDGE  SETTLERS — CLARK  R.  GBIGGS — VILLAGE  OF  PHILO  A 
RAILROAD  STATION — THE  PRESENT  VILLAGE — OGDEN  TOWNSHIP- 
PIONEER  SETTLERS — OGDEN  VILLAGE. 

Philo,  the  only  village  in  the  township  of  that  name,  is  on  the  line 
of  the  Wabash  Railroad.  It  has  a  population  of  about  six  hundred  people 
and  its  site  is  on  one  of  the  highest  and  most  healthful  points  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county.  One  of  the  branches  of  the  Ambraw  rises 
about  half  a  mile  to  the  west,  flowing  from  a  pronounced  ridge,  which 
enters  the  town  from  the  north  and  runs  across  it  to  the  southeast  and 
upon  which  the  village  is  built. 

YANKEE  RIDGE  SETTLERS 

The  first  settlers,  of  the  neighborhood  were  from  New  England,  the 
majority  of  them  coming  in  1856.  Among  them  were  David  and  Lucius 
Eaton,  with  their  families;  George  and  E.  \V.  Parker,  Asa  Gooding, 
Dennis  Chapin  and  J.  P.  Whitmore.  Because  of  the  personnel  of  this 
New  England  colony  and  their  place  of  settlement,  the  locality  was 
called  Yankee  Ridge,  and  the  village  and,  to  a  large  extent,  the  entire 
township,  assumed  a  distinctive  character,  as  if  a  small  section  of  New 
England  had  been  set  down  in  that  part  of  the  West. 

The  location  of  the  village  was  doubtless  influenced  also  by  the  fact 
that  the  only  grove  in  this  portion  of  the  Ambraw  valley  was  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  15.  It  was  called  Towhead  and  was 
particularly  noticeable  because  of  the  absence  of  trees  in  the  surround- 
ing country.  It  was  entered  as  early  as  1837  by  Philo  Hale  who  figured 
that  the  Northern  Cross  Railroad  would  strike  that  landmark  which 
could  be  plainly  seen  for  many  miles. 

CLARK  R.  GRIGGS 

Among  the  Yankees  who  came  at  a  later  date  than  the  bulk  of  the 
New  England  colony  was  Clark  R.  Griggs,  a  Massachusetts  boot  and  shoe 

514 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  515 

manufacturer.  In  the  spring  of  1859  he  purchased  a  farm  on  Yankee 
Ridge,  a  short  distance  north  of  Philo,  but  because  of  an  accident  by 
which  his  right  hand  was  crushed  in  a  corn  sheller,  he  abandoned  farming 
and  moved  to  Urbana.  He  there  became  a  merchant  and  land  dealer, 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  the  late  '60s,  and,  as  told  elsewhere, 
was  influential  in  having  the  State  University  located  at  Urbana  and 
in  the  projection  of  the  Danville,  Urbana,  Bloomington  &  Pekin  Rail- 
road, now  a  portion  of  the  Big  Four  system. 

VILLAGE  OF  PHILO  A  RAILROAD  STATIOX 

In  1858  the  village  of  Philo  was  established  as  a  station  on  the 
recently  reorganized  Great  Western  Railroad,  which,  after  various 
changes,  became  a  part  of  the  eastern  division  of  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis 
&  Pacific  system,  and  in  1889  of  the  Wabash  Railroad.  Previous  to  the 
establishment  of  the  Philo  station,  there  had  been  no  stopping  place 
for  trains  between  Sidney  and  Tolono,  and  the  promoters  of  the  village, 
who  were  the  heirs  of  Philo  Hale  and  named  it  accordingly,  laid  out  a 
handsome  park  which  became  quite  a  feature  of  the  place. 

THE  PRESENT  VILLAGE 

The  present  village  has  two  grain  elevators,  of  which  the  proprietors 
are  J.  C.  Trost  &  Company  and  O'Neill  &  Plotner.  It  has  also  two  sub- 
stantial banks.  The  older  of  these,  the  Philo  Exchange  Bank,  was  estab- 
lished by  the  late  E.  B.  Hazen,  who  continued  at  its  head  till  his  death. 
The  other,  the  Commercial  Bank,  was  established  in  1902,  with  the  late 
Isaac  S.  Raymond  as  president.  It  began  business  as  a  national  bank, 
but  surrendered  its  charter  in  1910,  and  continues  as  a  private  bank. 
Its  president  is  C.  A.  Daly. 

Philo  has  four  churches,  as  follows:  The  Methodist,  Rev.  D.  L. 
Jeffers,  pastor;  Presbyterian,  Rev.  L.  F.  Cooper;  Lutheran,  Rev.  A.  J. 
Klindworth,  and  Catholic,  Rev.  D.  K.  Harrington.  It  has  also  lodges 
of  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  orders,  and  an  auxiliary  council  of  the 
Knights  of  Columbus. 

Philo  has  also  a  well  organized  system  of  public  schools,  so  that  in 
respect  to  its  agricultural  surroundings  and  to  its  internal  financial  and 
commercial  equipment,  its  educational,  religious  and  social  advantages, 
it  enjoys  exceptional  attraction  for  lovers  of  a  well-ordered  and  quiet 
community. 


516  HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

OGDEN  TOWNSHIP 

Ogden  is  a  narrow  township,  ten  and  a  half  miles  from  north  to 
south  and  three  and  three-quarters,  from  east  to  west.  Its  surface  is 
very  level.  The  southern  and  central  sections  are  watered  by  tributaries 
of  the  Salt  Fork  and  Stoney  creek,  and  the  northwestern  portion  of  the 
township  lies  in  the  valley  of  the  Spoon  Eiver.  The  only  natural  timber 
lands  were  known  as  Bur  Oak  Grove  toward  the  north  end  of  the  town, 
and  Hickory  Grove,  a  part  of  which  lies  on  the  western  line. 

PIONEER  SETTLERS 

The  first  settler  was  Hiram  Eankin,  who,  about  1830,  built  a  cabin  in 
Hickory  Grove,  near  the  north  side  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Section 
18.  Mr.  Eankin  soon  moved  into  St.  Joseph  Township  and  turned  his 
crude  improvements  over  to  his  friend,  Thomas  Eichards,  who  estab- 
lished a  pleasant  and  comfortable  homestead  for  his  large  family,  various 
members  of  which  developed  into  leading  men  and  women  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

Garrett  Moore,  the  first  surveyor  of  the  county,  improved  a  quarter 
section  in  Section  30,  also  along  the  western  border,  his  property  subse- 
quently passing  to  John  Chester.  John  Bailey,  kept  a  hotel  on  the  Dan- 
ville road,  and  William  G.  Clark  took  up  a  farm  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  township,  at  a  very  early  day,  and  Samuel  McClugen  and  William 
Paris  settled  in  the  Bur  Oak  Grove,  in  the  northern  part.  Milton  Babb, 
Eugene  P.  Frederick,  the  Miles  brothers  and  William  Cherry  also  settled 
in  the  northern  half  of  the  town,  and  in  more  recent  years  a  large  Ger- 
man population  occupied  the  Spoon  Eiver  flats  in  the  northwest  corner. 
They  are  Lutherans  and,  as  is  customary,  stanchly  support  their  church 
and  school. 

OGDEN  VILLAGE 

The  station  and  village  of  Ogden  owes  its  existence  to  the  Indiana, 
Bloomington  &  Western  Eailroad,  now  a  portion  of  the  Big  Four  system, 
which  was  constructed  through  Champaign  County  in  1866.  In  1905 
the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  cut  across  the  western  and  northwestern 
sections  of  the  township,  and  in  Section  17,  about  a  mile  east  of  the 
German  Lutheran  settlement  on  the  Spoon  Eiver  flats,  the  railroad  sta- 
tion of  Eoyal  was  established.  A  grain  elevator  was  built  and  other 
accommodations  provided  for  the  shipping  of  the  produce  raised  in  that 
section  of  the  township. 


HISTOKY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  517 

The  village  of  Ogden,  with  its  population  of  over  four  hundred  peo- 
ple, is  also  a  convenient  banking  center  for  a  large  area  of  the  country 
around.  The  Ogden  Bank  and  the  First  National  provide  such  con- 
veniences. The  latter  was  founded  in  April,  1900,  with  C.  L.  Van  Doren 
as  its  president.  A.  H.  Freese  is  now  at  its  head.  The  capital  of  the 
First  National  is  $30,000;  surplus  and  undivided  profits,  $13,000; 
deposits,  $170,000. 

Ogden  has  Methodist  and  Christian  churches,  of  which  Eev.  J.  B. 
Martin  and  Eev.  Cummins  are  the  pastors  respectively,  and  Masonic 
and  Knights  of  Pythias  lodges. 

The  village  has  had  a  newspaper  almost  continuously  since  1885, 
when  the  Ogden  Sun  arose.  J.  B.  Klegg  soon  changed  its  name  to  the 
Journal,  and  continued  its  publication  until  his  death.  It  then  passed 
to  William  Wampler,  who  conducted  it  until  1892,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Frank  Osborn,  who  published  and  edited  it  for  about  a  year,  or 
until  the  destruction  of  the  office  by  fire. 

In  December,  1894,  J.  R.  Watkins  started  the  paper  which  now 
represents  the  interests  of  Ogden  and  the  neighborhood,  the  Courier. 
In  December,  1902,  he  sold  to  J.  C.  Kirby,  who,  in  May  of  the  following 
year  disposed  of  the  Courier  to  Dale  Brothers,  of  the  St.  Joseph  Record. 
It  is  owned  and  edited  at  present  by  Mrs.  Delia  McPherren. 


.  CHAPTEK  XXII 

OTHER  TOWNSHIPS,  VILLAGES  AND  STATIONS 

LUDLOW  VILLAGE  AND  TOWNSHIP — ORIGINALLY,  PERA — ABEL  HARWOOD 

AND    THE    TOWN DlLLSBURG LKVERETT — SEYMOUR    AND    BOND- 

VILLE — COMPROMISE  TOWNSHIP — PENFIELD  AND  GIFFORD — FLAT- 
VILLE — EAST  BEND  TOWNSHIP — ETHAN  NEWCOM  AND  OTHER 
SETTLERS — DEWEY. 

Ludlow,  on  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  in  the  northeastern 
corner  of  the  township  by  that  name,  is  a  village  of  about  three  hun- 
dred people,  and  is  the  largest  center  of  population  in  the  prosperous 
township  by  that  name.  Both  the  village  and  the  township  occupy  some 
of  the  highest  lands  in  Champaign  County.  The  country  is  further  note- 
worthy as  being  the  watershed  for  the  headwaters  of  various  branches  of 
the  Sangamon  and  the  Salt  and  Middle  forks  of  the  Vermillion  Eiver. 

ORIGINALLY  PERA 

Little  land  was  entered  within  the  township  and  virtually  no 
improvements  had  been  made  on  the  lands  until  after  the  building  of 
the  Illinois  Central  in  1854.  Pera  station  was  then  established  as  the 
only  stopping  place  on  the  line  between  Urbana  to  the  south  and  Loda, 
Iroquois  County,  to  the  north.  For  a  time  it  was  simply  a  railroad 
station,  but  the  town  plat,  after  a  few  years,  was  sprinkled  with  a 
number  of  residences,  stores  and  other  evidences  of  growth,  and  at  one 
time  threatened  to  overreach  Rantoul.  It  now  has  a  good  graded  school, 
a  bank,  elevator,  several  churches  at  or  near  the  village,  and  is  destined 
for  future  growth.  The  township  was  originally  called  Pera,  but  when 
Harwood  was  taken  away  from  the  original  territory,  both  town  and 
village  assumed  the  name  by  which  they  are  now  known. 

The  Illinois  Central  was  completed  to  Pera  in  1853,  and  a  turntable 
built  at  that  point,  which  was  moved  to  Urbana  in  1854.  The  first 
railroad  agent  was  John  Lucas,  who  died  at  Ludlow  in  1870.  The 
first  school  was  taught  in  the  railroad  freight  house  by  Miss  Mary 
Wood  in  1858.  The  first  settlers,  aside  from  the  railroad  men,  were 
Dr.  Emmons,  James  D.  Ludlow,  B.  F.  Dye,  Isaiah  Estep,  L.  L.  Hicks, 

518 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 


519 


R.  W.  Claypool,  A.  Hunt  and  Seth  Parsons.  John  W.  Dodge,  who 
afterward  moved  to  Rantoul,  and  others  who  composed  the  Ohio  Settle- 
ment, located  in  1855-57.  About  the  same  time  the  Lewises,  Walkers 
and  other  permanent  settlers  arrived.  John  Springsteen  is  recorded 
as  the  first  blacksmith,  John  P.  and  Samuel  Middlecoff  as  the  pioneer 
merchants  and  M.  Huffman  as  the  first  postmaster. 

ABEL  HARWOOD  AND  THE  TOWN 


The  town  of  of  Harwood  to  the  east  of  Ludlow  was  named  in  honor 


OLD-TIME  RAIL  FENCE 

of  Abel  Harwood,  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in  Champaign  County, 
and  a  moneyed  man  who  had  foresight  to  improve  all  the  land  he  pur- 
chased. His  fine  improvements  in  what  is  now  the  township  of  New- 
comb,  near  the  Mahomet  line,  which  included  the  clearing  of  hundreds 
of  acres  of  land,  its  scientific  cultivation  and  the  growing  of  eleven 


520  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

miles  of  hedges  to  replace  unsightly  and  falling  fences — -such  develop- 
ments carried  along  by  Mr.  Harwood  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
county,  aside  from  his  standing  as  a  legislator  and  a  man,  fully  entitle 
him  to  the  honor  of  naming  a  prosperous  township. 

Harwood,  in  its  essential  physical  features,  much  resembles  Ludlow. 
Settlers  came  slowly  to  its  prairies  and  even  after  the  building  of  the 
Illinois  Central  the  people  of  the  eastern  part  of  Pera  Township  were 
not  greatly  accommodated,  as  they  had  to  depend  entirely  upon  either 
Rantoul  or  Pera  station  for  the  marketing  of  their  products  or  trans- 
portation. 

In  the  general  order  of  their  coming  the  following  settled  in  Har- 
wood Township :  Jeremiah  Day,  on  Section  30,  in  1852 ;  Jacob  Huffman, 
Section  1,  1852;  Michael  Huffman,  1853,  Section  3;  he  being  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Pera  Township;  James  Custer,  Section  1,  1854; 
A.  N.  and  William  Leneve,  Section  12,  1855;  J.  D.  Ludlow,  Section  1, 
about  the  same  year,  and  the  Crawfords,  the  Sopers,  Dr.  J.  C.  Maxwell, 
James  Marlatt  and  the  Claypools,  1855-56,  in  various  sections.  The 
first  school  was  taught  on  Section  11  in  a  log  hut  which  had  previously 
served  as  a  pre-emption  shanty,  in  the  year  1860,  by  Augustus  S. 
Crawford. 

DILLSBUHO 

The  settlement  of  the  township  was  very  slow  until  1865,  when 
immigration  was  rapid  for  a  time,  but  the  development  was  not  con- 
sidered permanent  until  the  Rantoul  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central  was 
pushed  through  four  of  its  southern  sections,  in  1881,  and  Dillsburg 
was  established  as  a  station,  as  well  as  Gifford,  just  over  the  line  in 
Compromise  Township. 

LEVERETT 

Leverett  is  a  station  on  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  rail- 
road, a  few  miles  north  of  Champaign,  which  has  become  quite  a  grain 
center.  A.  J.  Flatt,  who  owns  and  operates  an  elevator  and  a  store 
at  that  point,  has  been  at  the  head  of  its  development  for  a  number 
of  years  past.  In  1894  he  purchased  the  elevator  business  of  B.  C. 
Beach,  replaced  the  former  building  with  a  large  one  in  1897,  which,  in 
turn,  gave  way  to  the  elevator  now  operated,  which  cost  $15,000  and 
has  a  capacity  of  50,000  bushels.  In  1910  Mr.  Flatt  received  his  son, 
Ross  A.  Flatt,  into  partnership. 


HISTOEY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  521 

SEYMOUR  AND  BONDVILLE 

Seymour  and  Bondville  are  stations  and  grain  centers  on  the  Illinois 
Central  in  Scott  Township,  in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  There 
are  elevators  in  both  places,  and  Bondville  has  a  good  bank;  so  that 
the  farmers  and  residents  of  quite  a  section  of  the  country  look  upon 
them  as  their  most  convenient  trading,  shipping  and  banking  centers. 

COMPROMISE  TOWNSHIP 

Compromise  Township,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  is, 
with  Eantoul,  its  largest  territorial  division,  comprising  forty-eight  sec- 
tions or  square  miles.  With  the  exception  of  a  small  wooded  tract  in 
the  northeast  corner  known  as  Buck  Grove,  most  of  the  lands  are  of 
the  flat  prairie  variety.  That  section  of  the  township  is  watered 
by  Buck  Creek  of  the  Middle  Fork.  The  exceptions  to  the  general  rule 
as  to  surface  features  of  the  township  are  in  the  extreme  north  and 
southeast,  where  there  are  several  stretches  of  high  and  undulating  lands. 

As  the  lands  of  Compromise  Township  have  been  thoroughly  drained, 
they  are  now  admirably  adapted  to  farming  purposes,  and  the  result 
is  that  there  are  few  portions  of  the  county  where  the  homesteads  pre- 
sent a  more  prosperous  appearance,  which  are  more  generally  rural 
and  yet  which  are  favored  with  better  facilities  for  getting  its  products 
to  market. 

PENFIELD  AND  GIFFORD 

Penfield  and  Gifford,  stations  on  the  Illinois  Central  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  township,  have  banking  and  elevator  facilities.  The  Morse 
State  Bank  at  Gifford  was  established  in  1885  and  incorporated  in  1912. 
It  has  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  J.  D.  Morse  is  its  active  head.  It  may 
be  added  that  they  are  also  the  centers  of  considerable  religious  activity. 
There  are  Methodist  organizations  at  both  places,  under  the  pastorate 
of  Eev.  E.  B.  Williams,  who  resides  at  Gifford.  Rev.  William  O'Brien 
is  in  charge  of  St.  Lawrence's  Catholic  Church  at  Penfield,  and  Eev. 
Blackwell,  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  at  the  same  place.  Besides 
the  Methodist  Church  at  Gi'ft'ord,  are  the  Baptist  Church,  Eev.  E.  B. 
Williams,  pastor,  and  the  German  Lutheran,  Eev.  F.  Mutschwann. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  young  people  of  Gifford  and  Penfield  arc 
provided  with  good  schools,  as  well  as  religious  and  moral  instruction. 

33% 


522  HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY 

FLATVILLE 

Although  entries  of  land  and  actual  settlements  in  the  vicinity  of 
Buck  Grove  and  Penfield  were  made  seventy  or  eighty  years  ago,  the 
northern  part  of  the  town  did  not  develop  until  the  Rantoul  branch  of 
the  Central  provided  an  outlet  for  the  products  of  the  farm,  in  1881. 
Its  building  caused  an  increase  of  settlement  throughout  the  township, 
and  was  especially  encouraging  to  the  large  German  colony  in  the  south- 
western sections.  The  lands  there  were  noticeably  low  and  flat,  but 
fertile,  and  the  industrious  German  farmers,  with  thorough  cultivation 
and  persistent  drainage,  made  the  country  a  garden  spot.  They  also 


TYPICAL  WHEAT  FIELD 

secured  the  post-office  of  Flatville,  which,  although  on  no  railroad  line, 
is  in  a  rural  route  and  a  great  accommodation.  A  number  of  Lutheran 
churches  and  several  good  schools,  both  parochial  and  district,  have  been 
established,  which  add  to  the  advantages  of  this  prosperous  section  of 
Compromise  Township.  Rev.  Ernest  Moehl  has  been  pastor  of  the  Ger- 
man Evangelical  Church  since  1895,  and  is  widely  known  and  honored. 
The  fine  edifice  of  the  society  was  dedicated  in  January,  1915. 

EAST  BEND  TOWNSHIP 

East  Bend   Township,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  derives 
its  name  from  the  abrupt  bend  in  the  Sangamon  River  near  the  center 


HISTORY    OF    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTY  523 

of  the  town,  which  there  assumes  the  shape  of  a  partial  parallelogram 
and  is  sharply  deflected  from  a  southeasterly  to  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion. Not  far  south  of  this  remarkable  bend  of  the  river  was  the  famous 
Newcom's  Ford,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Sangamon  by  the  old  Danville 
and  Fort  Clark  road. 

ETHAN  NEWCOM  AND  OTHER  SETTLERS 

It  was  named  after  Ethan  Newcom,  who  came  to  the  neighborhood 
in  tlie  early  '30s  and  gave  his  name  not  only  to  the  ford  but  to  the 
township  (plus  the  "b").  Newcom's  Ford,  which  was  also  a  favorite 
camping  place  for  the  old-time  knights  of  the  road,  was  almost  midway 
between  Fisher,  which  abuts  into  East  Bend  Township,  and  the  station 
and  settlement  of  Dewey. 

It  was  in  this  neighborhood,  in  the  timber  fringe  of  the  Sangamon, 
that  Mr.  Newcom,  Franklin  Dobson,  the  Devores  and  others  first  settled 
in  1837-40.  Fifteen  or  twenty  years  afterward  came  such  as  Harmon 
Hilberry,  Alfred  Houston,  Richard  Chism,  Benjamin  Dolph,  C.  M. 
Knapp,  Gardiner  Sweet,  Harvey  Taylor  and  others,  and,  with  the  coming 
of  the  railroad,  in  the  early  '80s,  the  immigration  was  so  large  as  to  dis- 
courage the  mention  of  individuals. 

DEWEY 

Dewey  provides  a  large  section  of  the  eastern,  part  of  East  Bend 
Township  and  of  the  western  portion  of  Ludlow  with  elevator  and  bank 
accommodations,  although  Fisher  to  the  west  and  Rantoul  to  the  east 
are  much  larger  centers  and  tend  to  circumscribe  its  activities.  The  two 
grain  elevators  at  Dewey  are  owned  by  J.  M.  Jones  Company  and  Hazen 
&  Renter.  The  Dewey  Bank  was  founded  in  1902.  There  is  a  good 
Fchool,  two  churches — German  Lutheran  and  Methodist — and  quite  a 
flourishing  Odd  Fellows  Lodge. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


